Increase in use of Antidepressants Prompts Calls for Better Work Culture
According to research published in the journal, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, poor team spirit at the workplace can cause depression in employees and consequently increases the use of antidepressants. The research was based on a survey conducted with 3,347 Finnish employees, between 30 and 64 years of age.
The employees were asked to express their views on their work environment. The key aspects considered were team spirit, feeling of being in control, and communication effectiveness. They were asked if they thought their work environment was supportive of innovation or was biased and conservative. Their opinion on the level of stress and confrontations at the workplace were also taken into account.
Besides these factors, the employees were also questioned about other aspects, such as what kind of a living arrangement were they in and whether they had access to health care.
Later on, the employees were monitored for symptoms of depression, and alcohol misuse. The official records were used to seek information on the use of antidepressants by these employees over a period of three years.
The analysis showed that employees who had complained that their work environment had poor team spirit were 60 percent more prone to depression and 50 percent more prone to use of antidepressants, as compared to the employees who were satisfied with their work culture.
The authors of the research stress that depression is a common problem and a major cause of sickness leave. They suggest that the increased use of antidepressants is not a good practice, and more efforts should be made to ensure a healthier workplace so that the prevalence of depression can be reduced.
Contact the experts at Workplace Law Training to find out about their range of accredited iosh safety training courses which can assist companies in training staff to be aware of the proper health and safety procedures for all kinds of workplace situations.
