Occupational Depression Sick Leave: symptoms, causes and treatment

This disorder can affect performance and is one of the main reasons for sick leave.

It is one of the psychological disorders that most affect workers and, therefore, companies. Depression at work is a feeling of sadness, demotivation and continuous discouragement related to the job.

In some severe cases, the worker may ask for a leave of absence due to depression.. This situation may be due to personal issues (in the case of bereavement due to the death of a family member or any other particularly serious circumstance) or due to issues related to the work environment (a situation of mobbing, late payment of wages, etc.).

This feeling of sadness is not a one-off event but lasts for a long period of time and causes the worker to perform less well and have serious problems in leading a normal life.

What is depression?

Depression is a mood disorder that many people suffer from at some point in their life.. It is essential to be able to detect the circumstances that are causing this depressed mood. Knowing the causes, it is possible to start a therapy or follow a series of psychological guidelines to get out of this bad situation.

Depression at work: what is it?

We spend many hours in the work environment, so anything that happens in that context can affect the way we value ourselves, and this can cause depression in severe cases.

In some organizations they take special care to attend to the level of well-being of their employees. Thus, if there is any kind of relevant situation, they can take concrete measures so that the person or persons affected can seek support from a trusted figure in the human resources team. In addition, this type of psychological problems derived from a bad working environment have important effects on the company's balance sheet.

Below we are going to know what are the most frequent symptoms of depression at work, and how to detect and help a person suffering from this mood disorder.

Symptoms

Depression at work is a disorder that originates in the workplace but can show its effects beyond that context:

• Sadness and apathy
• Anxiety without a specific cause
• Demotivation at work
• Constant fatigue; feeling of being "burned out".
• Changes in weight
• Irritability and outbursts in the work environment
• Low concentration and poor performance
• Increased time required to perform daily functions
• Increased errors and absent-mindedness at work
• Occasional absences In the case of this disease, coworkers and direct superiors of the affected individual can be of great help in diagnosing the problem.

Causes

But what are the most common causes of depression at work? what are the most frequent causes of depression at work? We analyze them below:

• Having lived through a traumatic or particularly stressful experience.
• A work environment in which the employee is not in control of the situation.
• Continuous frustration at not achieving the desired results
• Particularly stressful and demanding working conditions
• Communication problems and conflicts with colleagues or superiors
• Excessive responsibilities not commensurate with the salary.
• Lack of appreciation and recognition of the work performed by the employee. If you detect that you yourself or any of your office colleagues have this symptomatology, it is time to take action and start a psychological therapy based on different points.

Treatment

Mental health professionals use different techniques, strategies and activities that, if implemented correctly, can reduce the symptoms generated by depression at work.

The treatment to be followed must be adapted to each person and his or her problems.. Each work context is unique and the causes and symptoms will determine how to deal with the situation and what therapeutic tools will be most appropriate.

Let's get to know some general tips and solutions that can help us in case we suffer from depression at work.

1. Sensitize employees

Making workers aware of work-related disorders and how to prevent them is a great idea and helps to prevent helplessness from occurring.. At the very least, employees learn to detect dangerous situations and to report when something goes wrong. Information is power, and being able to identify risky situations among the work team is one of the most obvious ways to minimize the impact that this problem can have on certain members of the team.

2. Talk about it

It's not an uncommon disorder: many people suffer from depression at work at some point in their career. Talking about it and sharing your feelings with your colleagues will lessen the psychological burden.

The mere act of introspection and talking to someone about how you feel and what's going on in your office is going to make you feel better and make sense of what is going on. Your support people can give you feedback on the situation and advise you on how to remedy the conflict that is troubling you. Also, if your colleagues are aware of your situation, they are likely to empathize with you and try to find solutions.

3. Take your concerns to your superiors

First of all, if you decide to take this step, it is important that you treat it with appropriate discretion and confidentiality.

In most cases, the company can understand the complaints of the person concerned and take appropriate measures to alleviate the situation (especially if there is an excessive workload or a communication problem). In any case, if you are the person who is suffering from depression at work, remember to communicate properly and with all possible precautions, in a tone of maximum cordiality, this circumstance. It is much better for your superiors to see that you are in a constructive mood than for them to perceive you as a person who destabilizes the group or who does not fulfill his or her obligations.

They may be able to give you a few days off to get some distance and recharge your batteries. and recharge your batteries.

4. Go to psychological therapy

If you are suffering from depression at work or you detect that there is a colleague who may be in a situation of risk, it is very helpful to see a mental health professional who can treat the causes and symptoms of this disorder.. Each professional will study the case in depth and make decisions about the best therapy and tools that can be used. Correctly detecting the causes of work-related depression will make the therapist able to understand the situation much better.

Bibliographical references:

• American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. DSM-IV-TR. Washington, DC: Author (2000). (Trad. Castellano, Barcelona: Masson, 2002).
• Dr. Alfredo Horacio Cìa (2002). La Ansiedad y sus trastornos. Buenos Aires: By Productos Roche S. A. Q. e I.
• Drake RE, Cimpean D, Torrey WC (2009). Shared decision making in mental health: prospects for personalized medicine. Dialogues Clin Neurosci 2009; 11: 455-63.
• Kesselheim AS, Misono AS, Lee JL, Stedman MR, Brookhart MA, Choudhry NK, Shrank WH (2008). Clinical equivalence of generic and brand-name drugs used in Cardiovascular disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA. 2008 Dec 3; 300(21):2514-26.