The impact of depression in the workplace

Clinical depression affects employees at all levels of the corporate ladder. It ranks among the top three workplace problems, following family crisis. At any one time, one in every 20 employees experiences the illness. An estimated 200 million workdays are lost each year due to employee depression. Depression tends to affect people in their prime working years and if left untreated may last a lifetime.

A recent study shows that people with depressive symptoms spend more days in bed than do people with diabetes, arthritis, back problems, lung problems or gastrointestinal disorders. Each year, depression costs the U.S. economy $43.7 billion dollars, including $31.3 billion for indirect costs, such as decreased productivity and lost work days, and $12.4 billion in direct costs, such as medication and physician time.

Unfortunately, many employees with depression don't seek the treatment they need. According to a 1996 survey of employee assistance professionals, some common reasons employees do not seek treatment is that they:

• Believe they can handle it on their own.
• Are unaware they have depression.
• Are concerned about employee confidentiality policies.
• Believe their health insurance will not cover treatment.

Depression in the workplace often manifests itself in a variety of ways, including:

• Decreased productivity.
• Morale problems.
• Lack of cooperation.
• Excessive fatigue.
• Unexplained aches/pains.
• Safety problems and accidents.
• Excessive absenteeism.
• Alcohol and/or drug abuse.

If you are an employer, supervisor or colleague, you can help people with depression by:

• Educating employees at all levels about depression and recognizing that it's a common medical illness that is treatable in more than 80 percent of all cases.
• Identifying national and community organizations that can provide help, such as the National Mental Health Association, and obtaining and distributing their information to all employees.
• Training supervisors and colleagues to recognize the symptoms of depression while emphasizing that although they can/should not diagnose the illness, they can refer people to an employee assistance professional (EAP) counselor or other mental health professional, if appropriate.
• Ensuring employees that state/federal law and EAP policy dictates employee confidentiality, unless there is a risk of harm to oneself or others.
• Emphasizing to employees the importance of choosing a health insurance plan with coverage that will meet their needs, including mental health coverage.
• Making sure that employee health benefits include mental health treatment.
• Ensuring management is understanding and supportive of employees with depression. This might include setting flexible work schedules for employees during treatment and assessing the company's policies on this issue.
• Instituting effective company programs, such as the Employee Telephone Access Program (ETAP). This program provides an interactive telephone screening intervention that offers employees and family members a confidential, non-threatening way to self-identify symptoms of depression while facilitating early intervention, when treatment is often most effective and least costly. Each company participating in ETAP is assigned its own toll-free number and customized referral information. Employees and family members can access the number from any phone, 24 hours a day.

Life can be enjoyable again! With recognition and treatment, clinical depression can be overcome. Talk with your doctor or a qualified mental health professional if you think you may have symptoms of clinical depression. To determine whether you are experiencing symptoms, take our confidential depression-screening test.

Copyright © 2007 Mental Health America

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