Posted on 10/13/2007 5:30:47 PM PDT by decimon
WASHINGTON - People who tend to the elderly, change diapers and serve up food and drinks have the highest rates of depression among U.S. workers.
Overall, 7 percent of full-time workers battled depression in the past year, according to a government report available Saturday.
Women were more likely than men to have had a major bout of depression, and younger workers had higher rates of depression than their older colleagues.
Almost 11 percent of personal care workers — which includes child care and helping the elderly and severely disabled with their daily needs — reported depression lasting two weeks or longer.
During such episodes there is loss of interest and pleasure, and at least four other symptoms surface, including problems with sleep, eating, energy, concentration and self-image.
Workers who prepare and serve food — cooks, bartenders, waiters and waitresses — had the second highest rate of depression among full-time employees at 10.3 percent.
In a tie for third were health care workers and social workers at 9.6 percent.
The lowest rate of depression, 4.3 percent, occurred in the job category that covers engineers, architects and surveyors.
Government officials tracked depression within 21 major occupational categories. They combined data from 2004 through 2006 to estimate episodes of depression within the past year. That information came from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, which registers lifetime and past-year depression bouts.
Depression leads to $30 billion to $44 billion in lost productivity annually, said the report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The report was available Saturday on the agency's Web site at http://oas.samhsa.gov
The various job categories tracked could be quite broad, with employees grouped in the same category seemingly having little in common.
For example, one category included workers in the arts, media, entertainment and sports. In the personal care category, a worker caring for toddlers at a daycare center would have quite a different job from a nursing aide who helps an older person live at home rather than in a nursing home.
Just working full-time would appear to be beneficial in preventing depression. The overall rate of depression for full-time workers, 7 percent, compares with the 12.7 percent rate registered by those who are unemployed.
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On the Net:
Read the report at: http://tinyurl.com/2ft37p
I am not employed and am as happy as the proverbial lark.
I am a health care worker. Yes, depression is my second name but I don’t have time to dwell on it. Many times I’ve wished that I was someone rich and famous so that I could go to a rehab or rest hospital for TLC.
I accepted retirement from my career job to retain my last shred of sanity. I didn't but I'm still glad I took the retirement.
Cheer up!
My guess is that depression is largely a leftist disease, related in some way to their other mental disorders.
According to that, I should be moderately depressed from working part time with special needs children along with a fair share of diaper changing. But, once again, I wasn’t asked.
The report has 'Installation, Maintenance and Repair' as being low on the depression scale. I hope that doesn't include field service (dealing directly with the customer on the customer site) as that field became one of walking on egg shells, stuck between uncaring customers and uncaring management.
“The lowest rate of depression, 4.3 percent, occurred in the job category that covers engineers, architects and surveyors. “
Wow! It’s a GREAT day, isn’t it? Makes one thankful to be alive!!!!!
I've worked many jobs in many fields from floor sweeper, to Electronics Technician, clothing manufacturing to the Aerospace industy.
And I was happy in jobs that other people absolutely hated.
Mostly because I practice thanking God for whatever job I have and always try to excell no matter what the job is.
I also refuse to feel sorry for myself in adverse circumstances and don't allow myself to be occupied with negative thoughts for long.
As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.
There are many threads here to indicate otherwise.
In many jobs you are punished for that.
Like Winston Churchill and Abe Lincoln?
For example....
When Hillary is elected, we will all have a depression.
Texas56-ISU3. I am very depressed, and it’s not going to get any better the rest of the season, I fear. Even the win over the Hawkeyes several weeks ago won’t carry me through to the NFL playoffs.
The one I retired from. And I did look at other jobs/companies.
If you see a formerly successful company going downhill then forget the Kudlow type analysis and think human factors.
That's an optimistic projection. ;-)
In as far as they want to blame others for their lot in life and make the Govt and the rich responsible for solving their problems, yes they are more succeptible to depression.
Otherwise depression crosses all political boundaries. There certainly are some miserable people on these boards.
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