The proportion of mental illness income protection (IP) claims Zurich received doubled in 2020.
The insurer revealed more than one in four (27%) IP claims were triggered by mental health conditions last year, compared to 13% in 2019, making it the most common cause of claim.
Around £1.7m worth of payments were made to customers of individual policies, while nearly one in four (18%) accessed Zurich Support Services, with 82% seeking clinical support for conditions including depression, stress and anxiety.
This free benefit provides access to counselling as well as 24/7 advice and signposting on lifestyle issues.
The data also shows that 28% of all new group income protection (GIP) claims last year were for mental illness, making it the second most common reason for people seeking support behind cancer.
Commenting on the data, Nicky Bray, chief underwriter for Zurich’s life business, said: “We know around one in four of us will experience a mental health problem at some point in our lives which means it is vital that products such as life and income protection insurance are available to as many people as possible.
“For customers who share a history of conditions with us, such as depression, stress and anxiety – the vast majority are offered cover and the valuable support that comes with it.
“To help boost uptake, we continually look to simplify the application questions and only request further information when needed to give a fair decision.”
The insurer added that it was also progressing various initiatives as part of its work with the ABI on the mental health standards for the industry.
