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Question: Depression – A Silent Killer

Answer: ‘Our journey in life is not the same, so do not be too hard on yourself, try to always take things easy. Should you feel that your mental health is on the verge of deteriorating, do the things that will bring you happiness and peace. Do not stress yourself with all the office work or tasks; those can wait. It is not the end of the world. Find yourself good friends and share your problems with them, or get professional help. Look for a reliable support system’.

This is a piece of advice from someone who cares. The advice seems easy for most of us to articulate to a listener, but the struggle borne by the depressed individual is beyond our imagination. Only those who are suffering or had suffered from mental health issues know how bad the condition can be. Tragic incidences due to depression is not uncommon. We have heard and witnessed about the tragic suicide of patients suffering from depression. In most major depression cases as reported by mainstream newspapers and the social media, many of the depressed people usually take a shortcut to eliminate their problem – by self-stabbing, slitting own throat or wrist, jumping from a high building, or plunging into the river and drowning.

Depression can be caused by many factors, one of which is work-related stress. This predicament, if left unattended, would also affect workplace productivity and lead to more employees’ becoming badly affected, hence, depression. The issue of depression is a serious matter, and it cannot be treated as an intermittent problem that arises within the organisation, neither can it be treated as a personal issue of the respective employee working within the organisation (Mallow, 2018). Today, depression is a global issue which needs to be addressed by everyone of the society, including employers and employees collectively. The suicidal phenomenon due to depression serves as an alarm to all including the country, hence, it should be taken seriously. Due attention and immediate action should be initiated by both the government and employers as a measure to minimise these undesirable tragedies from happening among the staff.
A study in the United States reported that about 9.5% of the adult population suffers from depression, and, because of this, 200 million workdays are lost each year (Jacobs, 2015). In a more detailed observation, nearly one in four workers is diagnosed with depression in their lifetime while five have taken leave from work. What is more worrying is that, more than 1–10 of the adults who have been in a 1-year service of work have missed workdays as a result of suffering from anxiety (14%) and depression (16%) (Jacobs, 2015; September 2015). On an annual basis, the US industry suffers from a deficit of USD43.7 billion due to depression (Paul, 2003; Sumner, 1998).
Depression is a mental illness and mental health is the individual’s most significant asset that warrants happiness and well-being, particularly at the workplace. The success of an organisation depends on the integrity and the good relationship of its employees with the organisation concerned. Thus, the well-being of both parties is essential for ensuring a productive and conducive working environment at the workplace. A concerted effort by all departments to sustain the well-being of an organisation is necessary. From the legal perspective, a robust policy on well-being, which is equally accommodated with explicit legal and ethical provisions, should be implemented. This helps to guarantee that the rights and protection of all parties are not only served but also seen to be served. Thus, it is mandatory for an organisation to have practical guidelines or an ethics policy, in whatever label it should be, to govern the employers’ and employees’ well-being at the workplace.

Depression is sadly, a killer illness which has always been perceived to be a personal emotional problem that should be treated personally. Taking the cue from this misleading perception, awareness towards combating depression has also been less well received, with little rigorous efforts and attention being given to it by the government as well as society. Aiming to bring the mental health topic into discussion, this chapter discusses the prevalence of employee’s depression. First, it focusses on the challenges that affect the employees’ well-being at the workplace. Second, it emphasises on the role of the employers in combating the symptoms of depression and in maintaining the mental health of their employees. Third, this chapter suggests various ways that can be adopted by employers to mitigate the risk of depression among employees and to support those who are suffering from this illness. Fourth, this chapter looks at the condition of the mental illness in the context of Malaysia. Some examples taken from various companies in maintaining their employees’ mental illness are shared, for benchmarking purposes. It is hoped that the disclosure can create awareness among the employers and employees and to enable them to notice the importance of having effective methods to boost employees’ well-being at the workplace. Finally, the outcome derived can be used as a guidance by employees so that their knowledge about the available protection and preventive measures can be further enhanced.

(Source: , 30 Nov 2020)

Source Link: https://doi-org.onlinedatabase.librarynet.com.my/10.1108/978-1-83982-692-420201003