Depression negatively affects U.S. industries through lost productivity, employee absenteeism and low morale. Each year, companies lose an estimated $30 billion to $44 billion due to employee depression. Research shows that the rate of depression varies by occupation and industry.
This report from SAMHSA’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health examines findings for adults for lifetime and past-year occurrence of a major depressive episode (MDE). It finds that adults employed full-time in the community and social services sector suffered from MDE at the third-highest rate in the country – 9.6 percent. Part-time workers were also more likely to experience MDE (9.3 percent) than full-time workers (7 percent). The findings could have significant implications for youth-serving organizations, which employ thousands of community and social services workers, many on a part-time basis. (See "Part-Timers: More Gain Than Pain," July/August 2007.)
Free at http://oas.samhsa.gov/2k7/depression/occupation.htm.
