Mr Heyworth, global head of client strategy at HSBC bank and vice-chairman of the City Mental Health Alliance, says workplace stress and anxiety is now discussed more openly in the boardroom.
But he says the problem is still stigmatised.
Mr Heyworth, 53, a father-of – two from Chelsea, south-west London, unknowingly suffered from depression since he was a teenager and it came to a head at 40.
The Cambridge graduate was “carted off to the Priory for two months” following a breakdown.
He said: “I had been surviving by working unbelievably hard and drinking too much alcohol.
“I was trying to hit targets, had huge managerial responsibilities and was working among lots of highflying and sometimes aggressive bankers.
“Then I suddenly came to a juddering halt. I went into my boss’s office and told him I couldn’t go on. I wasn’t sleeping at all, drinking too much and having suicidal thoughts.
When you are in the depths of the black dog, life looks pretty difficult.”
He recovered with a combination of medication, exercise, sleep and family support and rest.
He added: “The figures in your survey don’t surprise me.
Most people have no idea of the extent of stress and anxiety.”
