Working overtime could increase depression risk
If you are married to your job and frequently find yourself in the office for more than 11 hours, you could be putting yourself at an increased risk of suffering from depression.
Experts have found that individuals who work for 11 or more hours a day are at double the risk of suffering from depression than their colleagues who work a standard eight-hour day.
The study in question followed over 2,000 civil servants for a period of almost six years, and revealed a clear link between regular overtime and depression.
The researchers found that employees working the longest hours were more likely to be men than women, married or living with a partner and generally exceeded the recommended alcohol limits.
Even when the above risk factors were taken into account, workaholics were still 2.5 times more likely to suffer from at least one major episode of depression after six years, despite all of them having no prior experience of mental health problems.
Chief executive of mental health charity Mind, Paul Farmer, has said that making employees work excessive hours is a false economy: “Not only are tired, unhappy workers less productive, but they risk developing mental health issues that if handled badly, can be costly to businesses. ”
If you are often in the office late or working overtime and you feel that your emotional well-being is starting to feel the effects then it is important that you address the situation as soon as possible. Discuss your workload with your manager or a colleague so that you can arrive at a solution together.
It may be that you feel the depression has already taken hold, or the first signs are appearing – if this is the case then talking to a counsellor in confidence may benefit you. Visit our depression page to find out more or use the search tool located on our homepage to locate a counsellor in your local area.
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