Depression in the Workplace. How to Recognise It?

What is depression and what is the morbidity?

Katarzyna, a 35-year-old manager in the HR department, has always been an energetic person and committed to her professional duties. She successfully led her team and was able to motivate its members to work more efficiently. Over time, however, she noticed that it became increasingly difficult for her to get up, and the daily chores began to overwhelm her. The stress of deadlines and expectations of the company became unbearable, and overtime made it short of time for anything but professional duties.

To cope with the tension, she began to eat stress with sweets and reach for a bottle of wine before bed. At work, she avoided conversations, felt exhausted, and increasingly thought that her effort made no sense. The co-workers initially thought it was just a temporary fatigue, but over time they noticed that Catherine took sick leave more and more often, was irritable and had difficulty concentrating. These are classic symptoms of depression in the workplace — a problem that affects not only managers, but employees at every level.

Depression is a serious mental disorder characterized by a prolonged decrease in mood, loss of motivation and energy, and difficulties in daily functioning.

How to recognize her? To talk about depression or depressive episode from a clinical point of view, according to ICD-11 (International European Classification of Diseases and Health Problems), for at least two weeks, you must have at least five of the following ten symptoms:

1. lowering of mood,
2. clearly reduced interest or pleasure in the activity,
3. decreased ability to concentrate and maintain attention or pronounced indecision,
4. a belief of low self-esteem or excessive, inadequate guilt,
5. hopelessness in thoughts of the future,
6. recurrent thoughts of death, suicidal thoughts or suicide attempts,
7. significantly disturbed sleep or excessive amount of sleep,
8. significant changes in appetite or weight,
9. psychomotor agitation or delay,
10. decreased energy or fatigue.

350 million people worldwide suffer from depression, including about 1.2 million Poles — according to the World Health Organization (WHO), it is one of the most common diseases in the world and one of the main causes of disability. Depression is most often diagnosed among people aged 20-40 years. According to statistics, twice as many women suffer from depression as men, but it is in men that a higher rate of suicides is recorded.

Consequences of untreated depression

If left untreated, depression can lead to serious consequences — both for the individual and for the organization. Chronic depression increases the risk of other mental disorders, such as anxiety disorders, burnout or addictions. It can also contribute to health problems, such as heart disease, hypertension or a weakened immune system. People suffering from depression often have difficulty concentrating, making decisions and completing tasks, which affects their professional performance and can lead to job loss.

Untreated depression results in frequent sick leave. On the other hand, some employees come to work despite a poor mental state, which negatively affects their performance and the atmosphere in the team. From January to July 2024, 12.5 million medical certificates were issued to insured persons in ZUS due to their own illness, totaling 138.4 million days of sick leave. The current ZUS report on absences shows that mental disorders are one of the most frequent causes of sick leave (12.5% of all types of leave — 17.2 million days). People with depression often withdraw from social life, have difficulty interacting with others, which can lead to conflict, loneliness and further aggravation of the problem. In extreme cases, depression can lead to suicidal thoughts and attempts.

How to recognize depression in a coworker?

The work environment has a huge impact on the mental health of employees. Depression most often develops as a result of high demands, pressure and excess responsibilities, as well as the constant need to achieve results. Lack of support from superiors and colleagues leads to isolation, and poor communication exacerbates feelings of loneliness. The level of stress and anxiety also increases job insecurity and fear of losing a job. In turn, an imbalance between work and private life results in overwork, which favors a decrease in mood. Companies that do not care about the psychological well-being of employees often face higher levels of absenteeism.

People who work in different jobs may experience depression in different ways. According to Karaska's model, employees who experience high demands while having a low level of control over the tasks performed are more prone to stress and depression. Depression symptoms are also more likely to be experienced by people working on short-term contracts or in precarious employment conditions, as well as employees who need to suppress their emotions (e.g. customer service and team leaders).

Not every momentary decrease in mood and chandra means depression, but there are some symptoms that should get our attention, especially if they last for at least two weeks:

• withdrawing from contacts and avoiding conversations,
• decrease in efficiency, difficulty concentrating,
• frequent sick leave,
• apathy, lack of motivation to act,
• changes in behavior — increased irritability, extreme emotional reactions,
• an increase in the number of errors in work, difficulty in making decisions.

How to support a colleague with depression?

If you notice that someone on your team is struggling with a depressed mood, it's worth showing support. What can be done? Let's start with what to avoid. We should not:

• Evaluate, such as “You used to be so cheerful. It's toxic so non stop grieving”, “You're just lazy”.
• Comment, criticize and ridicule, eg “You spoil the mood of others”, “You are an energy vampire”.
• Forcibly advise, presenting your “golden recipes” for happiness, for example, “Start meditating or doing yoga, it will work for you.”
• Compare, for example, “Others are decidedly worse off. People die in war, and you're a trickster. Take a grip and appreciate what you have”, “People lose their homes and somehow live on”.
• Speak: “Think positively! Life is beautiful!” , “Cheer up!”.

Instead, you can:

• Show empathy and care — ask if everything is fine, listen without judging or advising.
• Offer help — for example, in taking over part of the duties for a short time, in finding a solution, unobtrusively proposing to spend time together.
• Encourage the use of a specialist Companies can offer access to psychological consultations as part of employee benefits and create various psychoeducational campaigns and workshops on mental health.
• Educate yourself about depression The more knowledge you have about what your colleague is struggling with, the better you can support him or her.

How to create a work environment conducive to good mental health?

Employers can play a key role in countering depression by:

• Promoting open communication about mental health
• training for leaders and HR managers in identifying and supporting employees with depression,
• flexible working hours and the possibility of remote work,
• psychological support and mental health programs for employees,
• building a work culture based on cooperation and mutual support.

Depression in the workplace is a real problem that affects both individual employees and the entire organization. Appropriate preventive measures, support from colleagues and leaders, and attention to a healthy working atmosphere can significantly reduce the risk of its occurrence. Employers who care about the psychological well-being of the team not only improve the comfort of work, but also increase the efficiency and level of loyalty of their employees.

Bibliography:

1) https://medpr.imp.lodz.pl/pdf-92005-31528?filename=31528.pdf
2) https://www.prawo.pl/kadry/zachorowanie-na-depresje-a-miejsce-pracy%2C519977.html
3) Depression and Other Common Mental Disorders: Global Health Estimates, World Health Organization.
4) Karasek R.A., & Theorell, T., Healthy Work: Stress, Productivity, and the Reconstruction of Working Life, Basic Books, 1990.
5) Siegrist J., Adverse health effects of high-effort/low-reward conditions, Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 1 (1), 27—41, 1996.
6) Sick leave in Poland I-VII 2024. Zakład Ubezpieczeń Społeczeń, 2024.
7) Bakker A. B., & Demerouti E., The Job Demands-Resources model: State of the art, Journal of Managerial Psychology, 22 (3), 309—328, 2007.
8) Dewa C.S., Thompson A.H., & Jacobs P., The association of treatment of depressive episodes and work productivity, Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 56 (12), 743—750, 2011.
9) Leka S., & Jain A., Health Impact of Psychosocial Hazards at Work: An Overview, World Health Organization, 2010.
10) Netterstrom B., Conrad N., Bech P., Fink P., Olsen O., Rugulies R., & Stansfeld S., The relationship between work-related psychosocial factors and the development of depression, Epidemiologic Reviews, 30 (1), 118—132, 2008.
11) ICD-11 (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Health Problems)