8 out of 10 workers suffer from depression
21% of Spanish workers have suffereddepression At some point in their life, and currently, more than 70% of the losses due to mental disorders are caused by anxiety and depression. The latest studies ensure that treat depression early With antidepressant drugs it can be an improvement before two months and the chances of relapse will be much lower.
Eight out of ten Europeans suffering from depression are of working age, according to study data Dealing with depression in the workplace (2016). Among these, one in ten suffers a depressive episode a year, with an average duration of 35.9 days per episode. This same study reflects that depression is one of the first causes of loss of productivity, absenteeism, increase in work accidents, use of health services and early retirement. So much so that in our country mental disorders are the second cause of temporary disability.
How to recognize depression in our environment
However, the social recognition of depression is still complex, since it is a stigmatized pathology. However, early detection and appropriate treatment can be key to recovery. "We must banish that old discussion between pharmacological and psychological treatment, they are not exclusive," says Dr. Cristóbal Colón, head of the Psychiatry Service of Sanitas La Zarzuela University Hospital.
"When antidepressants are not used, a depression of genetic conditioning can last from 6 to 18 months, a long period after which 3 out of 4 people will be able to overcome the disease, but with a relapse risk of 80%. If the depression is diagnosed and treated early with antidepressant drugs, there will be a clear improvement before two months and the probability of relapse will be much lower than in the first case, "says the specialist.
For this reason, it is essential to recognize the symptoms of a depressive process in order to be able to stop it in time. The work environment is one of the most favorable for this due to the number of hours that people spend in their positions. "We spend a lot of time with our partners and the depressive symptoms are much harder to hide in that environment," explains psychologist María Díaz from Sanitas.
Symptoms of onset of depression
The most common are "insomnia, insidious change in appetite, fatigue, lack of energy, extreme difficulty concentrating and recurrent negative thoughts," says Diaz. According to the psychologist, the alarm has to jump when these symptoms disrupt daily life. In this sense it is important to highlight that "depression not only affects the state of mind, but also affects the physical, mental and the way of representing reality."
Some of the situations that can help us discover that a person in our work environment is suffering from depression would be the following:
- Progressive neglect of hygiene and correction in the changing room
- Appearance of inferiority beliefs
- Guilty feeling
- Gradual decrease in habitual activity at work, indecision or thinking about the same idea
- Excessive sleepiness during the day.
These symptoms appear gradually, so their identification may not be easy.
The social cost of depression among employees
According to the study "Impact of depression at work" of the European Depression Association (EDA), 21% of Spanish workers have been diagnosed with this condition at some point in their lives.
At the European level, more than 70% of the losses due to mental disorders are caused by anxiety and depression. The total costs attributable to the depression constitute more than 1% of the Eurozone's GDP. In addition, the depression has an annual indirect cost of 92,000 million euros per year, so its correct approach affects not only the emotional well-being of workers, but also in the productivity of companies and the sustainability of the National Health System .
