Introduction
To maintain work-life balance it is important to understand the cause and the ways by which we can deal with work depression. This article provides an overview to help, deal and manage mental health at work.
Work Depression
According to DSM-5, “Depression involves feelings of helplessness, hopelessness and worthlessness, and in worst case scenario there may be features of anhedonia.”
If these symptoms go unaddressed for a long period of time, there might be an impact on productivity levels and work efficiency.
As a result of which there may be an impact on various aspects like relationships, performance, and motivation of an individual. When this starts to affect our professional life, we define this as Workplace Depression, which is a rising concern these days and needs to be addressed.
Having no work-life balance, overwhelming workload, bad working environment, unrecognized efforts at work etc. maybe some of the factors contributing to this and must be acknowledged to create a favorable work environment so that the individual is able to work efficiently, which in-turn will lead to a positive impact on the organization in totality.
Symptoms of Work Depression
When we talk about the symptoms, we need to know that there four are categories involved in this namely mild, moderate, severe, and profound.
As per DSM-5, “the symptoms should be present for two weeks or more for a major depressive disorder to be diagnosed and if they are there for a year or two it might be a persistent depressive disorder.”
According to ICD-10
“There will be mood shifts, disturbed sleep patterns, decreased or increased apatite by 5%, and suicidal ideation.”
If these symptoms are not recognized timely, then the individual’s social, occupational, and other important areas of functioning might get affected.
At the workplace there might be some indicators like
- Inattention
- Decrease in productivity levels.
- Irritability
- Fatigue
- Absenteeism
- Interpersonal issues at both workplace as well as at home like frequent scolding from superiors and arguments with colleagues as well as with family
Causes of Workplace Depression
- Work overload may lead to fatigue which may have direct impact on an individual’s work efficiency.
- Because of this there might be levels of uncertainty which makes one think that their job is stake and they need to work harder.
- This notion might lead to cognitive overload.
- Work-life imbalance might have its own set of challenges which might lead to low quality of life and the individual might not be able to work productively at the workplace.
- Workplace environment is another factor which contributes to people depicting symptoms of depressive features.
- If the environment is rigid and unhealthy then there are chances that the individual might start to feel aloof and distant.
- If the communication patterns are restrictive and rigid within the organization the individual might feel that it is better to keep their needs and opinions to themselves rather than connecting or reaching out to people around.
How To Overcome Work Depression
To overcome Workplace Depression –
- Accepting that one has been having the symptoms for a long period of time and that it needs to be communicated rather than avoiding it.
- After communicating the issues, addressing them one by one and working through them is important to reach the root of them.
- One needs to make a conscious decision of engaging in some form of physical activity during work like taking small walks around the workplace and pursue some sports or go to gym after work and interact with fellow employs now and then during breaks, this leads to improve connections within the organization.
- Being able to divide work is a useful skill one can practice when there is too much workload. This can be done through goal setting which has good positive effects.
- Lastly, practicing relaxation techniques is something that will give a positive impact.
Important Tips to Take Care of Mental Health
- One should limit coffee intake and stick to a balanced diet.
- The individual should practice mindfulness techniques like deep breathing which relaxes the mind.
- One should take short breaks in between work and connect with co-workers around.
- Creating boundaries is essential to foster healthy relations among the people in the organization.
- Surround yourself with like-minded people as this will help them to feel connectedness within the workplace.
- Effective communication is a must as it will help in developing and maintaining meaningful and authentic relationships.
- Having a sense of purpose and setting goals according to it is crucial as it will help the individual to work efficiently and effectively which in turn will create a sense of flow at the workplace.
Conclusion
Workplace depression is a rising concern and if not addressed, it might lead to disruption in social, occupational, and other important areas of functioning. Therefore, employees should seek support as and when required and take care of themselves to function adequately.
References
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). American Psychiatric Publishing
World Health Organization. (1992). The ICD-10 classification of mental and behavioral disorders: Clinical descriptions and diagnostic guidelines. World Health Organization.
Berndt, E.R., Finkelstein, S. N., Greenberg, P.E., Howland R.H., Keith, A. , Rush, A.J., & Keller M.B. (1998). Workplace performance effects from chronic depression and its treatment. Journal of Health Economics, 17(5), 511-535.Tan, L. , Wang, M.J., Modini, M. , Joyce, S. , Mykletun, A., Christensen H., & Harvey, S.B., (2014). Preventing the development of depression a work: a systematic review and meta-analysis of universal interventions in the workplace. BMC medicine, 12, 1-11.
