What Employer should do?

Every company should consider developing a mental health policy. This should aim to provide a workplace which tends to prevent depression and which encourages its prompt and effective treatment. This should also improve the overall performance of the organisation and of individual employees. It should reduce the costs of sickness absence, both from physical illnesses and depression.

There are four main areas to consider:

I. Raising awareness

Everyone in the company can be made aware of the importance of recognising and helping colleagues who may be suffering from depression. This should include every level of the workforce, from the shop floor to senior management. Common ways of doing this include posters, leaflets, or even giving information about depression in appraisal interviews. Everyone needs to understand that positive action can result in great benefits to individuals and the company as a whole.

2. Health education for employees

Employees can benefit from knowing about mental health and learning how to reduce stress. Time management techniques, assertiveness training, and the use of 'team-building' exercises can protect employees from depression and other conditions. The workforce and management should have information about the early recognition of depression, and the circumstances in which people are most likely to become depressed. It is particularly important to emphasise that depression is unlikely to permanently affect a person's ability to work. This area of a mental health policy should also include discussion of pre-retirement planning, preparing people for life after they eventually leave work.

3. The organisation of the business

The way in which a business is organised and operates can have an effect on the mental health of its workforce. Important areas include the physical environment, responsibilities of the job, the level of supervision, and how personnel are selected and trained. Thoughtful adjustments can make employees more satisfied with their jobs and may well improve the performance of the business as a whole.

4. Occupational health services

Occupational Health Services need to be backed by senior management if they are to develop programmes to educate line managers and the workforce about depression. They should also be responsible for recognising and counselling depressed employees, and in helping them to return to work.

Occupational Health staff will have experience of sensitive issues such as workplace confidentiality, job security and the timing of the return to part-time or full-time working. They also know about the particular stresses and strains of the work environment. Occupational Health nurses and doctors are well placed to work closely with family doctors or other specialist employees, whilst being sensitive to the employees' need for confidentiality. Contacts should be established with the local branches of self-help organisations.

The exact form of such a programme depends upon the type of business as well as the size of the organisation. Any company can, however, expect to improve the management of their human resources in this way, often with great benefit to both the company and its employees.

Depression in the workplace

Depression is a common illness. At some point in their life, around 1 in every 5 women and 1 in every 10 men will suffer from depression. At any given time, 1 in every 20 adults is experiencing a serious 'major' depression. A similar number will have a less serious depression. Naturally, problems that are common in the general population are common in people at work. In any one year about 3 in every 10 employees will have a mental health problem, and depression is one of the most common. It is not just distressing for the person involved. It makes them less productive at work and is responsible for high rates of sick-leave, accidents and staff turnover.

What is depression?

If you have not suffered from depression yourself, or do not know anyone who has, it can be difficult to appreciate what it is like. We can all feel fed up, miserable or sad after a distressing personal loss. This may be the death of a partner or relative, the break up of a marriage, or the loss of a job. Sadness like this will usually pass with time. Occasionally it will just drag on, or it may get worse and worse. On the other hand, unhappiness just comes 'out of the blue', for no obvious reason. If depression goes on and on, is severe, or dominates every part of someone's daily life, it should be treated as a medical illness.

Certain symptoms can give a clue that someone is suffering from the kind of depression that will need help.

These may include:

• Sadness which does not change from day to day
• Crying for no apparent reason
• Anxiety, worrying, irritability or tension
• Disturbed sleep
• Reduced appetite and change in weight
• Tiredness, lethargy and lack of motivation
• Loss of interest in normal activities
• Forgetfulness and poor concentration
• Thoughts of worthlessness and hopelessness

Effects of depression on work

Someone suffering from depression can start to behave out of character, both at home and at work. Other workers or employers may notice that someone is:

• Working slowly
• Making mistakes more often
• Unable to concentrate
• Forgetful
• Late for work or meetings
• Not turning up
• Getting into disputes and arguments with colleagues
• Unable to delegate tasks
• Working, or trying to work, much too hard

Depression can seriously affect someone's ability to work effectively. It may be so bad that he or she will have to stop work completely for a time. When it is not quite that bad, most people will try to soldier on, painfully aware that they are not doing their job as well as they usually do. If someone's depression can be recognised and helped, they will get back much more quickly to their normal performance at work. Much needless unhappiness and suffering can be avoided.