High-Stress Job Doubles Risk of Depression
A survey of workers in their early thirties found that those in high-stress jobs were twice as likely to suffer from depression and anxiety as those who held low-stress positions.
According to the researchers from the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London, high-stress jobs were those involving deadlines, the possibility of public failure, hard physical labor and no encouragement or support. Low-stress jobs had no deadlines, greater flexibility and no fear of public failure.
The survey, conducted for one year among 1,000 people aged 32 in a wide range of occupations, found 15 per cent of those in high-stress jobs suffered a first episode of clinical depression or anxiety during that year, compared with 8 per cent in low-stress jobs. Women were generally more affected than men. People who had previously suffered depression or anxiety and those with "negative" personalities who were more likely to complain were eliminated from the study.
The study was published in the August issue of the journal Psychological Medicine.
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Comments
Yes a high stress job is bound to cause depression, I worked in mental health as a support worker, front line stuff with PD patients, PICU sex offenders etc. It caused me lots of stress and also a massive redness around my neck and face, also worked in a female Psychitric intensive care unit, WOOOOOOW Was that a nasty place to work. I do not work in those units anymore, I work for me as a Hypnotherapist, NLP EFT practitioner. much better now I feel alive not weighed down.
shaun.
I agree! I work in an all female prison as a correction officer and I think we have many depressed workers due to the stress levels. I was one of them this past year and I had always believed it would never happen to myself. Now I realize it can happen to anyone and alcohol with depression is a bad mix!! The level of alcohol use is very high at our facility, many officers self medicate to feel better. Its no wonder our life expectancy is only 52!!!