In a society that prizes productivity and asserts that "time is money," it's no surprise that work has become sacred. As a result, we work hard, long hours and often under great stress. This ends up presenting us with the bill.
Long, stressful days at work leave us exhausted, so sometimes it's hard to tell if we're just tired or something else. Is it fatigue or depression? Recent psychological studies suggest that working too hard, particularly when the job is stressful, can triple the risk of suffering from depression.
Depressed from working too much under pressure
An 11-year study conducted at the University of Michigan collected data from more than 17.000 doctors. These researchers found that working 90 hours or more per week was associated with depressive symptoms. That's right, working that much increased the risk of suffering from depression three times, compared to people who worked 40 to 45 hours a week.
Additionally, a higher percentage of those who worked long hours scored high enough to be diagnosed with moderate to severe depression, a condition serious enough to require treatment.
These researchers found a dose-response effect between hours worked and symptoms of depression, with an average increase in symptoms of 1,8 points for those who worked 40 to 45 hours and up to 5,2 points for those who worked over 90 hours.
It's not the only study that has found a link between overwork and depression. In the UK, after analyzing more than 23.000 self-employed and employed workers, researchers concluded that working on weekends affects mental health. They also noted that women are particularly vulnerable because the likelihood of developing depressive symptoms increases with excessively long working hours.
Depression due to hard work and pressure is not unique to the West. A 2019 study of the working population of Shanghai revealed a worrying association between excess hours worked and the risk of depression, while also pointing to a particularly worrying problem: the “guolaosi” (death from overwork). In fact, about 600.000 people die every year in China due to stress and fatigue.
The right balance that keeps depression at bay
Today, social norms and economic pressures can push many people to work far beyond what their mental health can handle. The desire to move up the career ladder quickly or to hold on to an industry position are also often incentives for professionals to work overtime or work weekends.
The problem is, that line blurs very quickly, and what starts out as the exception can quickly become the norm, leaving us physically and emotionally exhausted, opening the door to ailments like depression.
Poor work-life balance ends up taking its toll on us. To avoid this, it's important to make sure you have enough time to rest and disconnect from work. Then our brain can take a vacation and the stress level decreases.
Hobbies have also been found to help mitigate the negative effects of long hours at work and reduce the risk of depression. They improve our state of mind, help reduce the tension generated by work environments and protect our mental well-being.
Therefore, even if you need to work and are forced to do an activity that does not suit you, do not neglect your mental health. Keep your stress and fatigue levels under control to recharge your batteries before it's too late.
Sources:
Fang, Y. et. Al. (2022) Work Hours and Depression in US First-Year Physicians. New England Journal of Medicine; 387 (16): 1522.
Weston, G. et. Al. (2019) Long work hours, weekend working and depressive symptoms in men and women: findings from a UK population-based study. J Epidemiol Community Health; ;73(5): 465-474.
Li, Z. et. Al. (2019) Effect of Long Working Hours on Depression and Mental Well-Being among Employees in Shanghai: The Role of Having Leisure Hobbies. Int J Environ Res Public Health; 16 (24): 4980.
Admission Working too much and under pressure triples the risk of suffering from depression was published first in Corner of Psychology.
