Research Studies Causes of Workplace-Related Depression

A study published in Lancet Psychiatry analyzed how work conditions may impact mental health among 6,870 employees, and determined that people experiencing job stress at 45 years old were more likely to develop depression, anxiety, or other mental disorders by age 50, reports MarketWatch . "These findings serve as a wake-up call for the role workplace initiatives should play in our efforts to curb the rising costs of mental disorders," says University of New South Wales Professor Samuel Harvey. The researchers examined employees' decision authority, skill discretion, job pace, intensity, and conflicting demands to rate their level of job strain. More strain translated into higher rates of mental illness irrespective of gender, occupation, or class. "This research provides strong evidence that organizations can improve employee well-being by modifying their workplaces to make them more mentally healthy," Harvey notes. Employers are increasingly permitting workers to treat mental health days like normal sick days, and every $1 spent on mental health training yields a return of investment of nearly $10, according to an earlier study from the Black Dog Institute.