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Work can be "as addictive as drugs or alcohol", but workaholism isn't receiving enough attention as a psychosocial health issue to manage, according to an occupational psychologist.

While no one in Australia seems to be measuring workaholism in "any meaningful academic or scientific way", clinical observation, and trends in countries where it's been measured for decades, indicate it's on the rise, says Global Leadership Wellbeing Solutions (GLWS) co-founder Audrey McGibbon.

Statistics suggest the rate in the general population is around 15%, but where the risk is heightened – in healthcare, the legal sector, banking and finance, and in the entrepreneurial sector – the rates are as high as one in four.

Unlike workaholism, burnout has become topical in recent years, and is being measured in Australia; but because work addiction is a cause, it warrants closer attention...