By Terrie Johnson | UAB Community Health & Human Services Intern

Many people are dealing with mental health issues in the contemporary world. Depression is one of the most common disorders and presents as a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. Thus, it interferes with the performance of daily activities. The risk factors include genetic predisposition, alcohol and substance abuse, dysfunctional families, and stressful life events. Clinical interventions are required to diagnose and treat this disorder since it does not resolve after some time. Depression can affect an individual’s work performance by leading to absenteeism or presenteeism, but people can alleviate these effects by seeking medical help.

Productivity at work is critical because it determines if a person gets promotions, pay increases, and other benefits. However, it can be affected by mental health issues such as depression. This mood disorder hinders an individual from attempting or completing tasks appropriately (Johnston et al., 2019). Thus, a patient may miss work deliberately or avoid taking up responsibilities. Eventually, absenteeism may lead to the loss of jobs if targets remain unmet. Depression also results in presenteeism, whereby a person goes to work but is distracted. Lack of concentration hinders assignment completion, which indicates poor performance (Johnston et al., 2019). Hence, persons with symptoms of depression should seek professional help.

There are various interventions that people who feel depressed can seek to alleviate the situation. First, one can consult a physician to get a proper diagnosis. By doing so, they understand their current behavior and take prescribed medication. For instance, if one does not want to go to work, they can attribute the feeling to the disorder. Taking prescribed drugs or attending counseling sessions can also enable an individual to perform tasks appropriately. Lastly, understanding that depression is treatable allows one to affirm themselves and remain encouraged. Hence, taking a day at a time would help a patient to navigate and triumph over this mental health issue while retaining productivity. Depression can affect your work performance. Knowing how depression affects work will help you identify the signs and hopefully prompt you to seek treatment from a medical professional.

Reference

Johnston, D. A., Harvey, S. B., Glozier, N., Calvo, R. A., Christensen, H., & Deady, M. (2019). The relationship between depression symptoms, absenteeism and presenteeism. Journal of Affective Disorders, 256, 536–540. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2019.06.041