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By Melissa Tennen, HealthAtoZ writer
Ever been fired or missed out on a promotion? It may not be that glass ceiling holding you back.
"Depression is the number one barrier women face in the workplace," says Lea Ann Browning McNee, senior vice president of the public affairs and community development at the National Mental Health Association (NMHA).
Depression is a heavy weight on your mood and motivation. Working seems like an impossible boulder when you feel so sad.
"Depression is bad enough to start with," Browning McNee says. "But if you are feeling depressed and have a headache, you are more likely to stay home. Most of us force ourselves to work through a headache. But when you have depression, it's just one more thing added on. Everything is more difficult."
Women with depression might be less likely to return phone calls and more likely to call in sick or leave early, according to a recent survey from NMHA. They might even avoid co-workers.
Untreated depression is a bigger obstacle to professional success than other issues such as child and elder-care responsibilities, pregnancy and sexual harassment, the survey says.
Eighty-nine percent who quit or lost a job while depressed blamed their condition. And almost one-third said it completely interfered with their ability to do the job.
"Most often, women see the depression in hindsight. They see that in the past few years they haven't been as productive," Browning McNee says.
Depression affects about 5 million women working outside the home each year, according to NMHA. Clinical depression is a serious mental illness that is much more than temporarily feeling sad or blue. It involves disturbances in mood, concentration, sleep, activity level, interests, appetite and social behavior. The condition can happen to anyone, regardless of race, culture, social class, age or gender. However, across virtually all cultures and socioeconomic classes, women are more likely than men to experience depression.
Women juggle many roles: employee, mother, wife, and daughter. Experts correlate these demands with higher rates of depression among women.
"Women become overwhelmed," says Jeffrey P. Kahn, M.D., a New York City psychiatrist, and president of WorkPsych Associates, Inc., a management and mental health consulting firm. He is also past-president of the Academy of Organizational and Occupational Psychiatry, and an associate professor at Cornell University Medical College.
Stress becomes an ever-growing tower of building blocks, he says. Ignore it for too long and that final block causes an avalanche. Anxiety builds along with the stress, eventually triggering depression. This is a natural evolution of the chemical effects of stress and anxiety on the mind.
"People with chronic depression very often find it hard to realize they are depressed, much less get themselves better," Kahn says. "They tend to see their state as the world being a difficult place rather than their depression being the cause of their sadness. Depression makes it difficult for them to find the best solutions." The person and the depression become intertwined.
Eighty-nine percent of the surveyed women who quit or lost a job while depressed blamed their condition. And almost one-third said it completely interfered with their ability to do the job.
Fewer than half of working women with depression who got help looked for it right away, the survey said. These women said they did not know where to go for help, felt pressure from work-related time constraints, feared insurance would not cover the costs and worried they could lose their jobs. Others said they delayed getting help because of the stigma associated with depression or felt depression was a sign of weakness or a character flaw. "Being aware of it is only half of it. Being willing to seek treatment is the other half," Browning McNee says.
Depression affects a company's bottom line. Don't expect your employer to spot it or be sympathetic. That's why it's important to recognize your symptoms and get help. "If employers don't understand what is causing the fatigue and low-productivity, then that could hurt a career," Kahn says. "They may just think that person is just not pushing themselves."
Treatment can help save your career. In fact, almost 95 percent in the NMHA survey said their performance improved. Almost 70 percent said they were able to reconnect with coworkers after treatment. Women reported feeling highly self-confident and interested in their careers again.
Not all women with depression falter at work. They could also be constant, relentless workers, driving away the intrusive, sad thoughts with work.
"There's a difference between being driven and being a hard worker," Kahn says. "Driven people can't stop and enjoy their successes. And they are at greater risk of becoming depressed because their coping skills may help mask it. They are not really happy when a major positive change happens. Working too hard is a way of coping with the hopeless feeling, a way of coping with the lack of energy, a way of coping with the desire to oversleep. Driven people stick with a rigid schedule."
Signs of depression in the workplace may include:
- Working slowly
- Missing deadlines
- Calling in sick frequently
- Absenteeism
- Irritability and anger
- Difficulty concentrating and making decisions
- Appearing numb or emotionless
- Withdrawal from work activity
- Overworking
- Forgetting directives, procedures and requests
- Difficulty with work transitions or changes in routines
Although you cannot diagnose depression, if you are the supervisor or co-worker of someone whom you think is depressed, ask a counselor for suggestions on how best to approach the employee.
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External Sources
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National Mental Health Association
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National Institute of Mental Health
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This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.
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