Depression and the workplace: a progress report.
There has been considerable interest recently in the relationship between depression and the workplace. This interest is driven by the growing recognition that depressive disorders are highly prevalent in the workplace and have an enormously negative impact on performance, productivity, absenteeism, and disability costs. A variety of clinical research with occupational-related samples has helped to define those at risk for depression and has led to a better understanding of the overlap of the construct of clinical depression with more longstanding occupational health and organizational psychology models such as stress, burnout, and job satisfaction. From an employer perspective, depression's impact remains largely unmitigated due to stigma, uncertainty about treatment's cost effectiveness, and lack of effective interventions delivered in a workplace setting. Progress in these areas is reviewed with suggestions for future directions.
Bender
Ash
A
Work, Stress, and Health Program, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 250 College Street, Toronto, Ontario M5T 1R8, Canada. Ash_bender@camh.net
Farvolden
Peter
P
D000041:Absenteeism; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D002055:Burnout, Professional / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D002170:Canada; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D019263:Dysthymic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D004526:Efficiency; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000191:economics; D006801:Humans; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D011287:Prejudice; D012307:Risk Factors; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis