Depression is a major contributor to absenteeism, reduced productivity and disability among adults in the United States. Now results from a survey examining the societal and economic burden of depression in the workplace show that almost a quarter of employees have been diagnosed with depression in their lifetime and that two in five patients have missed work, for an average of 10 day per year, because of it.
The findings underscore the importance of decreasing the stigma associated with mental-health conditions in the workplace and providing workers with support services and resources. According to a release, additional results also showed:
...64 percent of survey participants reported cognitive-related challenges, as defined by difficulty concentrating, indecisiveness and/or forgetfulness, have the most impact on their ability to perform tasks at work as normal. Presenteeism (being at work, but not engaged/productive) has been found to be exacerbated by these challenges related to thinking on the job.
Despite how depression is affecting our workforce, 58 percent of employees surveyed who have been diagnosed with depression indicate they had not told their employer of their disease. In addition, 49 percent felt telling their employer would put their job a risk and, given the economic climate, 24 percent felt it was too risky to share their diagnosis with their employer.
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These figures directly contribute to the estimated $100 billion annually spent on depression costs by U.S. employers including $44 billion a year in lost productivity alone.
The survey was commissioned by Ohio-based Employers Health and conducted by market research company Ipsos MORI. Questions were asked via an online panel of 1,000 adults, aged 16-64, who have been workers or managers within the last year. Responses were weighted to ensure the sample was representative of this profile. Funding was provided by international pharmaceutical company H. Lundbeck A/S.
Previously: Anxiety shown to be important risk factor for workplace absence, Research shows working out may benefit work life and How work stress affects wellness, health-care costs
Photo by Ryan Hyde
