Have you ever wanted to cover up your head and just stay in bed? The idea of facing your life and especially the workplace feels overwhelming. Just getting out of bed seems like more than you can handle. When sadness and hopelessness take over your normal feelings of hope and enthusiasm, for weeks at a time, you may be experiencing depression.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), this year, 19 million Americans will suffer a depressive episode. This means that in the workplace, at any time, 1 employee in 20 is experiencing depression. This disorder strikes adults in the prime of their life, between 24-44 years of age. Of the top three workplace problems reported by Employee Assistance Professionals (EAPs), depression ranks third only to family crisis and stress (NIMH). The good news is that 80 percent of depressed individuals respond to treatment. Treatment typically consists of talk therapy, medication, or a combination of the two. In more severe cases hospitalization may be required.

Generally, someone’s first episode of depression is closely connected to a life event. A second episode is less connected to outside events and by the 3rd, 4th and 5th depressive episodes there may be no correlation to life events.
Overall, women report two times as much depression but men are four times as likely to commit suicide (L. Hartley, 2003). The World Health Organization predicts that by 2020, mental illness will be the top cause of disability in countries with established market economies.

The importance of understanding depression and adopting methods of responding to depressed employees cannot be overstated. A depressed individual is much less productive and misses more workdays. In figures from 1990, businesses lost $30-44 billion, $12 billion in lost workdays and $11 billion in costs related to lowered productivity. A Rand Corporation study found that people with depressive symptoms spent more time in bed than those with diabetes, arthritis, back problems, lung problems or gastrointestinal disorders (NIMH). Depressed individuals are more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol, further complicating their problems both on and off the job. Morale problems, safety risks, accidents, fatigue and complaints of aches and pains are other common symptoms observed in the depressed employee. Even a family member suffering from depression can contribute to an employee having more disrupted work hours, missed days and difficulty concentrating.

What can we do to best address this problem in the workplace? Because a stigma exists in our culture about mental illness, many individuals will cover up or deny their struggles, not to mention the fact that depression can erode our self-confidence and skew our judgment about when to reach out to others. For these reasons, it is important to create an atmosphere of acceptance, understanding, and a clear way for employees to get the help they need without fear or shame.

In a study at the Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation, Boston University, of the employees who did not disclose a psychiatric disorder at their workplace, 55 percent felt it would lead to a biased evaluation, 36% felt it would negatively impact future promotions, 37 percent thought co-workers would gossip, 25 percent thought people would avoid them and 25 percent were advised by a therapist not to disclose (L. Hartley, 2003).

Many businesses and organizations have employee assistance programs in place for employees struggling with depression, stress, family issues and crisis. These are either in-house or contracted services staffed by mental health professionals specializing in helping employees and their family members. Find out if your organization has an Employee Assistance Program.

Consider these ideas if you are dealing with a co-worker or employee. Show concern and support the same way you would for someone experiencing a physical illness. Listen for complaints of stresses in their lives, repeated statements of fatigue, or aches and pains. (See Symptoms of Depression below.) If these types of symptoms are a change from their normal behavior and attitudes, you can suggest they schedule a consultation with your company’s EAP service or contact their physician. Reassure them that any information they share will remain confidential. Most importantly, when reaching out to help a co-worker, you want to remain non-judgmental and positive about their ability to get relief and heal with intervention. Getting healthy is made more difficult if someone fears losing their job.

Listening to a depressed colleague is good, within limits. You want to avoid becoming their therapist. While you may be quite effective, you need to preserve the work relationship. A mental health professional will be the best person to ensure this employee gets the required intervention(s).

In our experience at the INTEGRIS Corporate Assistance Program, management and Human Resource specialists are responsible for more than half of our employees accessing professional services through this EAP, evidence that sharing information and concern can make a big difference.

Supervisors and Human Resource specialists may want to consider offering accommodations to employees struggling with depression such as flexible work schedules, or the temporary reassignment of more demanding projects or responsibilities. For employees returning to work after a depressive episode, regular meetings to address realistic work goals and progress can be reassuring to both the employee and the manager.

Depression is treatable for most individuals. As we learn about this disorder and accept the frequency of its occurrence in so many of us, our ability to respond with tolerance, compassion and information will benefit all workplaces.

Symptoms of Depression

Five or more of the following symptoms must persist for more than two weeks and interfere with work or family life. While these symptoms can give you a general idea, for an accurate diagnosis a medical assessment by a physician and an evaluation by a mental health professional would be necessary.

• Persistent sad or “empty” mood
• Loss in interest or pleasure in ordinary activities, including sex
• Decreased energy, fatigue, being “slowed down”
• Sleep disturbances (insomnia, early-morning waking or oversleeping)
• Eating disturbances (loss of appetite, weight loss or weight gain)
• Difficulty concentrating, remembering, making decisions
• Feelings of hopelessness, pessimism
• Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness
• Thoughts of death or suicide; suicide attempts
• Irritability
• Excessive crying
• Chronic aches and pains that don’t respond to treatment

Symptoms of Depression in the Workplace

• Decreased productivity
• Morale problems
• Lack of cooperation
• Safety risks, accidents
• Absenteeism
• Frequent statements about being tired all the time
• Complaints of unexplained aches and pains
• Alcohol and drug abuse

To take a depression screening go to www.integrisEAP.com

For more information consider these informative Web sites:

National Institute of Mental Health www.nimh.nih.gov
National Mental Health Association www.nmha.org


By Rebecca Mild
M.Ed., LPC, CEAP
INTEGRIS Corporate Assistance Program