Two-thirds of teachers in Beijing are battling anxiety and depression brought on by excessive work pressure, according to new research.

A sample poll of 1,253 educators by the Teachers' Psychology Consultation Center found that more than 66 percent admitted suffering "psychological problems".

"If teachers suffer such problems, they can't concentrate on work and it will have a negative impact on students," said researcher Jin Chenghong, who helped conduct the study at 30 kindergartens, primary schools and middle schools in Chaoyang district. "The (capital's) education authorities should be aware of the situation and help teachers."

A report on the study's findings - released to coincide with a health forum - shows almost 3 percent had severe symptoms of psychology distress.

Excessive workload, pressure from students, the performance-related pay and skyrocketing housing prices were listed as the chief causes of the problem. Many teachers frequently feel anxious or fatigued, while others suffer stomach-related illnesses and insomnia, said Jin.

Cui Can, who teaches geography at Pingguoyuan Middle School in Shijingshan district, told METRO she has not gone to bed before midnight for more than a year. The 26-year-old regularly returns home after 9 pm and stays up late correcting homework and dealing with students' questions.

A major part of her job involves comforting students who perform badly in tests, meeting with parents and mediating between quarrelling students. She often has to work overtime on weekends because to cope with extra classes ahead of exams.

"I'm sometimes woken up by phone calls from students because they want to talk about exam pressure," said Cui. "I feel exhausted."

According to a 2007 study by experts at Beijing Normal University, educators in the capital work an average of 9.33 hours every day.

The research by the Teachers' Psychology Consultation Center indicates that primary school staff are generally in the worst psychological shape, largely due to the fact that their pay and social status is disproportionate to the level of dedication the job requires. Teachers aged 31 to 40 years old were also said to be under the most pressure, as they are usually juggling work and family life.

The consultation center was established two years ago to provide professional therapy to reduce the risk of stress among teachers and offers regular training sessions. By the end of March this year, the center had counseled 94 teachers and received 2,516 phone calls from teachers seeking professional help.