Many Bengalureans depressed at workplace, say doctors

Bengaluru is witnessing a steep rise in the number of people suffering from depression caused by workplace-related stress, counselling experts say.

The theme of this year's World Mental Health Day (October 10) is 'mental health in the workplace'.

"Over 40% of cases of depression I get have workplace-related stress as an important component in them. Workplace-related stress is very critical to the mental health of an individual. However, more and more companies in the city are taking the first step to combat this by having in-house counsellors and by conducting workshops for the emotional wellness of the employees," said Kala Balasubramanian, counselling psychologist, Inner Dawn Counselling.

Dr Naveen Jayaram, consultant psychiatrist, Sakra World Hospital, said: "Around 80% of the patients I get are those who experience psychological disorders due to stress in the workplace. In the IT sector, around 35% experience stress, according to various studies by NIMHANS, while 75% of women at the workplace experience the same. It is because of the long hours of work and the strict deadlines which push them into pressure."

Anjana Rao Kavoor, a consultant psychiatrist at Fortis Hospital, said a majority of the patients she treats are from the corporate sector. "Most of them go through early to late hour work timings along with long hours of travel. Many of them, when not able to handle the stress, may start using a substance like alcohol, smoking, drugs among others," she said. "Symptoms such as mood swings, anxiety, nervousness, frustration, etc should be noticed and the person should talk about it to friends or family."

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), over 300 million people across the world suffer from depression and over 260 million people are living with anxiety disorders. Depression and anxiety form an integral part of the workplace-related stress. A healthy work environment helps an employee have sound mental health along with increasing his/her productivity while a negative work environment reduces productivity along with having a negative impact on mental health leading to stress and anxiety.