Stress on job further hampers depressed workers

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Major depression affects about 15 million Americans. And those who work in stressful work environments face a special burden, according to a study released today in the American Journal of Health Promotion. It found that the combination of depression and stressful work environments erodes worker productivity.

‘There is a large economic cost and a human cost,’ the lead author of the study, Debra Lerner, of Tufts Medical Center, said in a news release.

Lerner and her colleagues compared 286 depressed workers with 193 who were not depressed. They found it was common for depressed employees to have problems at work. ‘They’re often very fatigued and have motivational issues,’ Lerner said. ‘They also may have difficulty handling the pacing of work, managing a routine, performing physical job tasks and managing their usual workload.’

A growing body of medical literature suggests that depression has more of an impact in the workplace than many other health conditions. Some experts suggest it would be cost-effective for employers to offer depression screening and treatment programs. ‘We are going to need more ways to help those who want to continue working to be able to do so and sustain their productivity,’ Lerner said.

-- Shari Roan