Depressing work

Working at a nursing home would seem to be a triple whammy , according to the first sentence .

They make no mention of farm work .... or slaughterhouse work .... or numerous other work that is physically and emotionally difficult . Again take results like these with a grain of salt .

I have heard that depression is at least partly the result of a feeling of powerlessness . These results indicate that ... seniors will be getting no better , in general over time, so the more effort put into the work goes 'unrewarded' . Child care does not fit this mode. The mirror side of this powerlessness theory is the financial rewards and opportunities that the jobs offer . All the depressing jobs pay at the lowest end of the scale and there is little or no possibilities of advancement except to work/study your way out of the job .

So, any job whose 'product' has little chance of improving , and also the job itself is dead-end , will lead to more depression among it's workers .

Doesn't seem worthy to spend money on a study to 'find' this out. It's not rocket science or brain surgery ( both jobs which should have a low depression rate!) .


Article published Oct 14, 2007
Some jobs just too depressing

October 14, 2007

Associated Press - People who tend to the elderly, change diapers and serve up food and drinks have the highest rates of depression among American workers.

Overall, 7 percent of full-time workers battled depression in the past year, according to a government report made available yesterday.

Just working full-time, however, 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.

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.