According to the National Institutes of Health, work stress is a possible cause of depression. However, untreated depression can lead to more severe mental problems. According to John Klapow, associate professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, "The U.S. work environment right now is far more tenuous and toxic than in recent history. With layoffs and downsizing, the opportunities for increased stress, negativity and pressure have all greatly increased." Research that was done in Finland reveals that stressful work environments increase a person's risk of depression.
Symptoms
According to the National Institutes of Health, the symptoms of depression can vary from mild to severe. To be classified as disorder, symptoms must be present for two weeks and interfere in the patient's life. Symptoms include inappropriate guilt, extreme difficulty concentrating, trouble sleeping or excessive sleeping, a dramatic change in appetite, feelings of hopelessness, thoughts of death and suicide, agitation, withdrawal from activities, restlessness and irritability.
Research
In a study published in "Occupational and Environmental Medicine," workers in Finland were asked to rate their workplace based on four descriptions: (1) encouraging and supportive of new ideas, (2) prejudiced and conservative, (3) nice and easy, and (4) quarrelsome and disagreeing. Researchers then analyzed the worker's rating to his mental health state.
Results
The results of the study showed that workers who thought their team spirit was poor were 60 percent more likely to be depressed and 50 percent more likely to take antidepressants, according to HealthDay. Marjo Sinokki, the lead researcher of the study, noted that "more attention should be paid to psychosocial factors at work." In response to the study, John Klapow said, "individuals who are feeling nervous, anxious, sad, irritable at work and find it interfering with their ability to get the job done should look at those symptoms as possible warning signs of a more serious but treatable psychological condition. Unattended, those symptoms can go on to become very debilitating disorders."
