Depression is a detrimental psychological disorder affecting both cognitive as well as behavioral aspects of an individual. Depression has been found to be one of the most common psychological disorders in current times. According to WHO (2019), 33.8% of people were diagnosed with depression amongst all the psychological disorders. Suicide rates have also seen an increasing trend. According to the data shared by NCRB (2019), about 1.39% of young adults die by suicide and it has increased by 4%. Another data of NCRB (2020) has shown that 381 people die daily because of depression.
What is depression actually? The etiology of depression has been found to be multiple and not just one. Neurochemical changes, hormonal imbalance, personality characteristics, family history are some factors from the list. Other multiple environmental factors are commonly counted as precipitating factors leading to the rise of the disorder. These could be stress and tension, financial burden, interpersonal conflicts, familial disputes, workplace stress, performance pressure, etc. to name a few.
Another variety of depression that is being surfaced in the current times is corporate depression. As the name suggests, this form of depression arises mainly from the challenges and difficulties faced at the workplace. As per common norms of corporate work culture, a working individual spends about 60-70 hours a week at their workplace. This makes the workplace their second home as most of the daytime, about 10-12 hours a day, is spent at the workplace. In such cases, it becomes highly important for the work environment to be conducive for every individual to foster and promote their physical and mental health. However, many a time it does not happen, and employees’ mental health get affected by numerous factors experienced at the workplace like demanding schedules, out of the box thinking, deadlines to be met, cut-throat competition, regular reviews and evaluations, frequent overtime, work-life imbalance, workplace politics, limited social support, etc.
Such a non-congenial work environment is likely to develop or increase stress experienced by employees. An increased amount of stress experienced for a prolonged time has been found to be precipitating as well as a contributing factor in the development of different psychological disorders. While a person is going through a workplace or corporate depression, the individual may notice some common signs in them. These signs could be,
- increased anxiety under stressful situations,
- feelings overburden,
- having low interest and motivation,
- lack of attention or concentration,
- frequent feelings of worthlessness,
- frequent physical complaints,
- increased absenteeism,
- low frustration tolerance,
- trouble sleeping,
- always on the edge, etc.
The signs are mostly experienced by the individual covertly. There are also some signs which can be observed overtly by colleagues or employers. These signs could be social withdrawal, low personal hygiene, absenteeism, late reporting, missing deadlines, procrastination, forgetfulness, fatigued appearance, increased irritability, low confidence, etc. Even though the roots of corporate depression lies in the workplace, it is important to notice that a person having a higher number of stressors emerging from personal life will be at an even higher risk of developing depression or ascending the severity of it.
As we all know that currently work from the home setup is in demand. So, does it help in reducing the risks of the disorder? Working remotely has its advantages as well as disadvantages. Many times the boundaries of personal and professional lives disappear because of their virtual nature. Also maintaining a structural routine is not another easy task. Physical stimulation is equally important for a person’s creative growth, keeping in mind the digital fatigue one can go through. These are also some concerns to be acknowledged in the present times of the pandemic.
So what should one do to prevent the disorder? Here are some useful tips that can be applied while experiencing stress or to prevent the flaring up of negative feelings.
- You can get out from your desk or office and take a 10 minutes break,
- Go outdoors for a lunch break if allowed,
- Go for a quick walk outside the office premises for physical stimulation,
- Take a mental health day per month when you don’t think or talk about official tasks and voluntarily remain away from the workplace,
- Practice meditation at the workplace
- Incorporate deep breathing in daily routine
- Be assertive to say no to a small thing that will reduce your stress during the day
- Watch a funny video to destress yourself
Depression either arising due to work or otherwise must be acknowledged and remedial steps are advisable to be taken. Having known about the gravity of the disorder, one should be sensitive towards the signs and symptoms, one should be open to seeking professional help.