New research shows teachers are increasingly turning to drink to cope with the stress of the job.
A report by the National Union of Teachers (NUT) of staff in Nottingham reveals that 33 per cent of teachers resort to alcohol, smoking, compulsive eating or "other substances" to help them cope.
Speaking to the NUT conference in Harrogate former head teacher and NUT president John Illingworth, who last year told delegates about the his own mental breakdown, explained the stresses of an inspection.
He said: "It's hard to imagine the emotional turmoil that drives a teacher to take their own life rather than face an Ofsted inspection.
"We are living in an educational reign of terror."
He went on to explain how he had received a large number of letters from teachers who had suffered similar problems, including one former headmaster who later committed suicide.
The conference backed his resolution that depression and acute anxiety were now a major cause of teacher absence.
Magenta Stonestreet, a teacher from North Tyneside, told the conference about her struggle with her depression and work-related stress, which led her to take four months off through illness.
"One of the things which I think was good is that I managed to get the kids out of the classroom the other day before I cried," she said.
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