Depression is a costly condition for businesses and for the individuals who leave it unchecked. The American Psychiatric Association estimates depression causes $44 billion annually in lost productivity and about half of employees with depression are untreated.
Even before COVID hit, our country saw an increase in mental illness. Between 2017-2018, 19% of adults experienced a mental illness, which is an increase of 1.5 million people over last year, according to Mental Health America’s report, The State of Mental Health in American 2021.
On top of that, the number of individuals seeking help for anxiety and depression has gone through the roof. Since the previous year’s screening, there was a 62% increase over 2019’s depression screens.
October 7 is National Depression Screening Day. You would want your employees to get their cholesterol, heart, and blood pressure screened — why not their mental health?
Below, learn more about the signs and symptoms of depression, free resources for mental health, and how to connect with an employee in a depressive state.
Depression, which is also called major depressive disorder, is a common and serious medical illness that can negatively affect how someone feels, thinks, and acts. Thankfully, it is a treatable condition despite the fact the person experiencing it may not always think so.
Depression is known for causing feelings of hopelessness, sadness, and a loss of interest in work and other life pleasures. Symptoms must be ongoing and last at least two weeks while also showing a change in a person’s function to be an official depression diagnosis.
Left untreated, it can cause significant emotional and physical problems that can make it challenging for a person to function at both home and work. Clinical depression can also lead to suicide if left unchecked.
On October 7, consider opening up the conversation about depression in the workplace. Make it easy by sharing this depression screening with employees. It’s free and confidential.
Depression is a serious mental health condition that can impact anyone. Across the globe, it impacts around 5% of adults but is also known as a leading cause of disability worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. It’s estimated that 280 million people around the world have depression.
Depression risk factors include:
A person’s health can also play a large role in depression risk. Someone who has cardiovascular disease or diabetes, for example, can become depressed and vice versa.
It’s important for employers to note the difference between grief, sadness, and depression. It’s normal to be sad and grieve when someone passes away. Grief and depression can cause individuals to withdraw from others and social activities, along with feeling sad. Depression is ongoing and lasts much longer than grief and doesn’t accompany feelings of self-loathing.
Signs and symptoms of depression to watch for include:
Other health conditions can also overlap with clinical depression. Knowing this, it’s important for employers to encourage annual check-ups and even host workplace biometric screenings to help employees better understand where their health markers stand.
Suffering alone isn’t easy. Many depressed individuals will say they feel alone in their feelings and don’t feel supported. As an employer, if you recognize an employee suffering in silence, offering support can be a vital step in getting them the help they need.
Some tips to reach out to a struggling employee:
Understand that an employee may come to you without warning to discuss their issue and potentially ask for accommodations. By understanding depression’s symptoms and how it may impact your employees, it will give you as a leader a better grasp on how it can impact their daily work functions. It will also help you anticipate and prepare for helping them adjust when they have a hard time.
Some accommodations may include taking medical leave, a more flexible work schedule, and time away from work to ward off burnout.
What mental health resources does your company have available? Whether you’re a large Fortune 500 company or a small business, it’s important to have a handful of useful resources to offer your team.
Allow your workers to have access to multiple resources so they can get help in the way they feel most comfortable. Sometimes an immediate supervisor isn’t someone an employee feels they can trust with such personal information. Have employee assistance opportunities and a library of resources that can be privately accessed.
If it’s tempting to put off getting these resources together, don’t. It can be the difference between someone feeling hopeful or helpless. And the resources at work may be the only option a person has access to in order to start making significant positive changes and learning coping skills.
To get started, here are helpful resources to get your content library together:
For IMMEDIATE help for someone in crisis, use these resources:
What resources does your workplace have that aren’t on this list? How do you start conversations about the risk factors for depression in your company? Share your thoughts below!