People suffering from depression may experience difficulties in their daily life. The disease can be felt particularly clearly at work, which is a large part of everyone’s life and is often very demanding. Lack of awareness of the symptoms and aggravating factors of depression may lead to overlooking its worsening and failure to respond in a timely manner.

Symptoms of Depression in the Workplace

Knowing your symptoms is very important in order not to overlook depression and thus delay its treatment. Those that may be especially noticeable during work include:

• avoiding going to work,
• difficulty concentrating
• lack of motivation,
• difficulties in completing tasks on time,
• constant fatigue or lack of energy,
• loss of interest in things that were previously interesting
• avoiding contacts with co-workers, isolating oneself.

People with depression may also show a tendency to isolate themselves or become overly concerned about work and the opinion of other people. They often struggle with constant guilt. They find it difficult to talk about the feelings that accompany them, especially in the work environment. They often feel ashamed and fear that they will be judged as “weak”. The development of depression is often preceded by burnout. Therefore, it is important to know how to recognize them and how to prevent them.

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What Can Lead to Depression in the Workplace?

The relationship between work and depression is two-way. Depression can affect your ability to perform work, and work-related stress can make mood disorders develop or worsen them. Factors such as:

• overwork,
• setting too high requirements by the employer, often exceeding the competences of the employee,
• all kinds of problems and conflicts with co-workers.

Depression Prophylaxis

In order not to increase the risk of developing mood disorders, we should, first of all, follow occupational hygiene and lead a healthy lifestyle. It consists of elements such as a balanced diet, enough sleep and a dose of exercise every day. They clearly improve our well-being and make us more resistant to stress and failure.

It is also important to maintain a balance between work and private life. So don’t take your work home and don’t overload yourself with tasks that exceed your capabilities. Outside of work, it is worth having classes that will allow you to relax, feel satisfied and forget about work. It can be sports, gardening, spending time with family, reading books or any other activity that gives you pleasure and allows you to rest mentally.

The presence of friends and acquaintances with whom you can share your experiences and receive advice or support is also very helpful. People with depression often isolate themselves from their surroundings, and this further aggravates the feeling of loneliness and lack of energy.

Remember, however, that these activities do not provide 100% protection against disease. So, if you live a healthy life and try to follow occupational hygiene, but still notice disturbing symptoms, seek specialist help.

What to Do When You See Symptoms of Depression?

If you notice symptoms of depression in yourself, you should see a psychiatrist. People with thoughts about taking their own life, cutting themselves off from the environment, neglecting basic needs – not eating food, not getting out of bed all day long, require a particularly quick response. Your doctor will assess the severity of your disease and suggest appropriate treatment.

Another important step in treating depression is psychotherapy. It often touches upon issues such as ways of coping with stress, assertiveness, time management and experiencing emotions. A psychotherapist will teach you to look more realistically at the work you do and help you learn about your strengths and weaknesses. The more aware you are of your weaknesses and strengths, the easier it will be for you to face everyday difficulties.