Do you often feel like crying when you were anxious, bored or worried while working.
These are common if you have a depressive work environment and your mental health is at risk due to your job.
According to the State of Mental Health in America there are around a million people who are depressed and the number of depressed people seeking help has increased significantly from 2019 to 2020.
According to the Bureau of Labour Statistcs people who work for 9 hours on weekdays and 5 hours on weekends typically suffer from mental health issues at work.
What is Work Depression?
Your work may not be the reason for your depression, but it may worsen the symptoms of people who are already suffering from depression.
Rashmi Parmar, a psychiatrist at Community Psychiatry claims that work can be a potential cause or the contributing factor of depression and it may vary depending on the levels of stress and availability of support system.
According to WHO, a negative work environment may lead to the use of drugs, absence at work, low productivity, and lower levels of concentration.
Depression comes under the top three health problems affecting the work of employees, and early detection and management is the only key to avoid the consequences.
Work Depression: Symptoms
Symptoms of work depression may be very similar tosymptoms of regular depression, and it may differ from person to person depending on their work environment.
Early detection and management is necessary because it affects the behaviour of the person both at office as well as at home. Few common symptoms of work depression may be as follows:
increased levels of anxiety even when the person is away from work.
feeling bored while working at your job.
late to work or at meetings
lack of motivation
missing deadlines and procastinating tasks
feeling hopeless, worthless or helpless
difficulty in making decisions
feeling impatient, frustrated and angry
Sleeping too much or not sleeping enough
increased use of drugs or alcohol
Work Depression: Causes
Different people have their own reasons for mental health issues and here is no point comparing them.
But the increase of depressive symptoms at work may be due to common problems at work or because the person is not able to cope up with the environemnt.
improper work schedule
feeling that the job is at risk
feeling that you have no control over the office matters
working without any future goals
no work and life balance
stuck in a situation of over work and underpay
toxic work environment
working in an organisation that doesn't match your personal values
Work Depression: Management
The previous paragraphs have laid down the various possible causes and symptoms of depression at work but that just helps us to know that we might be suffering from work depression.
It is important that we recognise our symptoms and begin to manage it well before it harms our career or professional life. Here a few ways one can manage the work depression:
Acknowledgin the problem and the way we feel when we think about work or at our work shall be the first step towards managing the symptoms well.
People can seek help from the therapists, doctors who they feel safe to talk to or can even join the support groups that are free programs with professionals to assist you.
Follow the instructions of your therapist with utmost care and never change the doses or stop the medication without consulting them.
Plan a vacation or take some break from your work. One must never burden themselves with responsibilities else it may worsen the condition and lead to burnouts.
Take small breaks between the office hours to freshen up your mood and go out of your office to have lunch or for a walk.
Follow self-care plans to boost your mood and help your mind become stronger. Meditation, yoga, practicing hobbies, listening to music may be helpful.
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