How Do You Avoid Depression Caused by Work?

If you feel depressed at work, you're not alone. Sadness, anxiety, loss of motivation, difficulty concentrating, unexplained crying spells, and boredom are just a tiny sample of the things you might feel if you have symptoms of depression at work. Depression affects more than 17 million American adults each year.

Data from the State of Mental Health in America 2021 survey show that the number of people seeking treatment for depression increased significantly from 2019 to 2020.

There was a 62% increase in people screened for depression during the survey, and 8 out of 10 had moderate to severe depression symptoms.

When you see full-time employees who spend an average of eight-and-a-half hours a day working on workweeks and five-and-a-half hours at work on weekends and occasions - according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics - it's no surprise that many of them experience symptoms of depression at work.

Read on to find out why work can trigger symptoms of depression, how to identify symptoms, where to get help, and what you can do to start feeling better.

What is work depression?

While work may not cause depression, the environment may exacerbate symptoms for people who are already depressed.

“Any workplace or occupation can be a potential cause or a contributing factor to depression depending on the level of stress and support available in the workplace,” said Rashmi Parmar, a psychiatrist specializing in community psychiatry.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a negative work environment can lead to:

• Concerns about mental and physical health.
• Absenteeism from work.
• Loss of productivity.
• Excessive alcohol intake.

The American Mental Health Organization reports that depression ranks among the top three problems in the workplace, according to employee assistance professionals.

“As with any other health condition, awareness and early detection are essential,” says Parmar. “Depression is a complex condition with diverse manifestations of thoughts, feelings, and behavior that can affect anyone and everyone, and may have a variety of work-related and non-work-related factors play a significant role in the case of a person suffering from depression in the workplace.

What are the symptoms of work depression?

Signs of depression at work are similar to symptoms of general depression. However, some of them are limited to the workplace environment. “This depression will affect how well you perform at your job and home,” Parmar said.

Some common signs of work depression include:

• Increased anxiety levels, especially when managing stressful situations or thinking about work when you are away from your job.
• General feeling of boredom and false satisfaction with your job.
• Decreased energy and lack of motivation to do things can sometimes manifest as boredom in performing tasks.
• Persistent and prolonged feelings of sadness or bad mood.
• Loss of interest in work tasks, especially previously enjoyable and satisfying duties.
• Feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, worthlessness, or guilt.
• Inability to focus or pay attention to work tasks and difficulty memorizing or remembering, especially new information.
• Committing fatal errors in daily work tasks.
• Increase or decrease in weight or appetite.
• Physical ailments such as headache, fatigue, and upset stomach.
• Increased absenteeism, lateness, and early departure.
• Poor decision-making ability.
• Irritability, increased anger, and intolerance of frustration.
• Crying spells at work, with or without any apparent cause.
• Sleep disturbance or sleeping too much, such as taking a nap during regular working hours.
• Self-medication with stimulants or other substances.

If you are good at masking or containing it, it is possible that the signs of depression at work will not be visible to your colleagues, but there are some symptoms that they are more likely to notice.

According to Parmar, here are some common signs of depression at work that you should be aware of:

• Distancing or isolating yourself from others.
• Poor self-hygiene or a significant change in appearance.
• Arriving late to work, missing meetings, or having more days absent.
• Procrastination, missing deadlines, decreased productivity, substandard performance on tasks, increased errors, or difficulty making decisions.
• Apparent indifference, forgetfulness, detachment, and lack of interest in things.
• Feeling tired most of the day, such as taking a nap while working.
• Irritability, anger, fatigue, or extreme emotionality during conversations, such as crying suddenly or for trivial reasons.
• Loss of confidence while performing tasks.

What are the causes of depression at work?

There are many reasons you might experience more depressive symptoms at work. As long as no two people — or experiences — are the same, some common features seem to emerge when identifying the causes or triggers of signs of depression at work.

Although it is not an exhaustive list, the following conditions may contribute to work depression:

• Feeling of lack of control over work problems.
• Feeling that your job is in danger.
• Working in a harmful work environment.
• Work beyond potential capacity or with little pay.
• Suffering from harassment or discrimination in the workplace.
• Working irregular hours.
• Imbalance between work and personal life.
• Working in an environment that does not match your values.
• Doing work that does not further your career goals.
• Working in harmful or unsafe conditions.

Work stress vs. work depression

It is not surprising to feel the pressure of work, but do not ignore the feelings of depression. It is essential to know the difference between them.

Work pressure

• Pressure whose intensity decreases when the cause ends.
• Occasional bouts of anxiety and irritability.
• Muscle tension or headache.
• Increased feelings of sadness and crying.
• Persistent feelings of anxiety.
• Exacerbation of the lack of attention and concentration.
• Feeling bored and dissatisfied at work.

Work depression

Leela R. Magavi, MD, psychiatrist and regional medical director at Community Psychiatry, said she works with many clients who are negatively affected when they engage in work they are not passionate about.

"People can mindlessly complete tasks throughout the day and start to feel distracted and frustrated, which can exacerbate anxiety and symptoms of depression," she explained.

Others may need more time to eat meals or drink water throughout the day, which, according to Leela R. Magavi, can exacerbate fatigue and inattention.

Does online therapy help treat depression?

You can enhance your quality of life with the support of professional and licensed online therapists. Talk to a therapist via phone or video, and stay in touch with them throughout the day via online platforms.

Does remote work make you more susceptible to depression?

Despite the ease and convenience of remote work, it also has drawbacks. According to Parmar, personal and professional life can easily overlap, which causes major disruptions to your daily routine.

Creating and sticking to a structured work program at home is also not easy. As Paramar says, boredom can slowly creep in without the program, giving way to depressed feelings and thoughts. Without the social environment at work, many people who work from home suffer from feelings of loneliness and isolation. We are forced to rely on chats or messages, phone calls, and video calls to communicate with our friends and colleagues, which increases the time we spend behind the screen.

Working remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic: Tips to improve your mental health

If working from home is the new normal for you, at least for the time being, you may be experiencing increased feelings of anxiety, stress, and depression. Here are some things you can do when those feelings arise:

• Get out of the house and take a walk.
• Keep your workspace separate from other parts of the house.
• Arrange the things scattered on your desk.
• Practice 5 minutes of mindfulness meditation in the morning and afternoon and before you stop working.
• Call a friend who is not working.
• Step away from the screen during the day.

In addition, Parmar said, many people may work longer hours than usual. She explains that it can be difficult to keep track of the time while they're at home.

Longer remote work can create many emotional, physical, and financial hurdles for individuals. Magafy said: “Low-income families are significantly disadvantaged due to limited resources or difficulty with good internet connectivity, while other families, regardless of income, may be at increased risk of domestic violence due to the anger caused by the pandemic-induced relocation and related stressors. People may feel that there is nothing to look forward to or struggle, as they no longer have an outlet to share feelings of exhaustion with fellow employees.”

What can you do if you feel depressed at work?

No matter where you work, dealing with symptoms at work can be difficult. Fortunately, there are things you can do when you feel depressed:

• Take a 10-minute break away from your desk or chair.
• Take a lunch break and get outdoors.
• Go for a brisk walk during your break, even indoors. Exercise is good for your mental health.
• Set aside a day to focus on mental health.
• Meditate for a few minutes.
• Do deep breathing exercises during your day.
• Don't allow one small thing to make you suffer even a little stress.
• Watch a funny video.

What are the common risk factors for depression at work?

 Some risk factors for depression at work, according to Magavi, include:

• Managers who treat employees with contempt.
• Imbalance between effort and reward.
• Workplace policies.
• Gossip in the workplace.
• Bullying at work.
• High work requirements.
• Decreased decision-making time.
• Limited social support in the workplace.

Parmar cited additional risk factors such as:

• Unfair expectations.
• Extreme workload.
• Roles are unclear or misused.

She also suggested that the wrong job can increase emotional and physical stress, which leads to fatigue and poor focus on work-life balance. In addition, very long shifts of 10 to 12 hours or more or shifts at varying times of the day that disrupt routines and sleep patterns are also risk factors.

A 2019 review found that shift workers, especially females, were at increased risk of poor mental health, particularly symptoms of depression.

How is depression related to work?

If you notice a link between your depression symptoms and your workplace, don't hesitate to ask for help. Talking to your immediate supervisor or employer is an excellent first step as long as you feel supported.

Sometimes a change of assignment or location within an office or organization can help reduce symptoms.

You can also ask the human resources department if your company has an employee assistance program, a work-based program that provides mental health services for personal and work concerns.

Outside of work, a combination of psychotherapy, medication, and lifestyle modification is often recommended to treat depression.

Online treatment options

Read the best treatment options online to find the one that's right for you. In addition, Parmar said, employers and colleagues can play an essential role in identifying at-risk individuals.

"It is important to create a culture of raising awareness and reducing the stigma associated with mental health disorders in the workplace, so affected individuals are encouraged to seek help freely without any bias when needed," she explained.

A 2014 study found that workplace mental health practices offered globally -more precisely, programs based on cognitive and behavioral health- can reduce the level of depressive symptoms among workers.

With this in mind, managers, supervisors, and staff can be trained to start conversations with people who need help, supporting them in their search for care at the right time.

In Conclusion

You may feel overwhelmed when you experience symptoms of depression at work, so identifying signs such as anxiety, tearfulness, boredom, and a lack of interest is the first step to getting help.

If you're concerned about depression at work, consider reaching out to your supervisor or human resources. They can help you find a counselor through the Employee Assistance Program, and you can also seek treatment from a therapist or psychologist.

Remember that you are not alone. If you are not ready to seek help from your workplace, make an appointment with a doctor or mental health professional.