A new study conducted by Australian researchers suggests that four in five people who suffer from depression opt to suffer in silence rather than inform about their problems to their work colleagues.

The study, titled 'The Elephant in the Boardroom: Getting Mentally Fit for Work', was led by Graeme Cowen, who along with his colleagues, surveyed over 4,000 Australians suffering from depression and stress disorders and found that over 86 percent of them were willing to keep quiet about their problems rather than informing them to their co-workers.

Almost 90 percent of them said that equating mental health disorders with physical illnesses could reduce the stigma in the workplace associated with mental illnesses while 79 percent said that they would like to see a mental health policy that addressed the rights of employees and prevented discrimination against a person suffering from mental illness.