Yes, you can work with depression, and sometimes working is helpful, but it depends on the severity, and you have the right to adjustments like flexible hours, breaks, or time off for treatment, with employers needing to provide a safe environment and support you in staying employed. Work can offer purpose and routine, but if symptoms are severe, taking time off for self-care and treatment, similar to a physical illness, is valid and beneficial for recovery.
The benefits you may be entitled to include:
You can have a full-time job and a fulfilling life despite your depression. Specific lifestyle habits, effective therapy and medical care can help you to recover and continue working efficiently. Nothing is impossible for those who have found the strength to accept and challenge their depression.
People with clinical depression, also called major depressive disorder, often have difficulties at work. Common symptoms of depression include low mood, interest and motivation, low energy and fatigue, and poor concentration and memory, all of which can interfere with the ability to work.
Per the FMLA, you can take medical leave for serious health conditions like severe anxiety or major depression. It's not for a casual month off to destress. Your employer will likely ask for evidence that a mental health leave is appropriate.
You can only be given medication after an initial 3-month period in either of the following situations: You consent to taking the medication. A SOAD confirms that you lack capacity. You haven't given consent, but a SOAD confirms that this treatment is appropriate to be given.
Your rights and the law
But it's illegal for employers to discriminate against people with any kind of disability. Disabilities include mental health issues if they have a substantial and long-term effect on your ability to do normal daily activities.
You do not have to disclose information to your employer. However if your employer does not know of any issues, they are unable to help. It may be beneficial to disclose information to your employer early on, so that steps can be taken to help, and therefore hopefully prevent problems in the workplace developing.
Getting the Right Treatment for Depression and Anxiety
As a rule, it is best to receive treatment from a mental health professional. Typically, these include a psychiatrist or psychologist. You may need to see a specialist to help prove that you can't work due to anxiety and depression.
During these episodes, symptoms occur most of the day, nearly every day and may include: Feelings of sadness, tearfulness, emptiness or hopelessness. Angry outbursts, irritability or frustration, even over small matters. Loss of interest or pleasure in most or all normal activities, such as sex, hobbies or sports.
Even when the economy takes a downturn, certain industries will typically need workers, including:
If you have a mental health problem, you might feel unsure about telling your employer about it. You might feel worried about confidentiality or unfair treatment because of it. However, if your mental health problem is a disability and you want the protection of the Equality Act, your employer needs to know about it.
It's thought that your chance of getting severe depression may be partly affected by the genes you inherit from your parents.
You'll get either: A cost of living payment if you're on low income benefits like Universal Credit. A disability cost of living payment if you receive disability benefits like Attendance Allowance.
It says that in order to be eligible for disability benefits because of depression you must be able to show that you have at least five of these symptoms: depressed mood. decreased interest in almost all activities. appetite disturbance (poor appetite or overeating) resulting in a change in weight.
An acute change in mood that persists for weeks or is associated with thoughts of self-harm should not be ignored. In some cases, it may constitute an emergency. Depressed mood, whether from a major depressive episode, or in the context of another problem, can become an emergency when there are thoughts of suicide.
Major depressive disorder causes significant biological changes, including altered hormone levels, sleep cycles, and brain structure. These changes can stifle your energy levels, affect your ability to focus, make you lose your appetite, and cause you to sleep more or less than usual.
The first stage of a mental breakdown, often starting subtly, involves feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and increasingly anxious or irritable, coupled with difficulty concentrating, changes in sleep/appetite, and withdrawing from activities or people that once brought joy, all stemming from intense stress that becomes too much to handle.
If your depression is caused by working too much or if it's affecting your ability to do your job, you may need time off to recover. It's important to avoid too much stress, and this includes work-related stress.
7 Foods, Drinks, or Drugs to Avoid Mixing With Antidepressants
No. Antidepressants are not considered drugs of abuse. That's why employers generally don't usually test for these prescriptions drugs in a screening. However, antidepressants have been known to produce false positives.
Major depressive disorder (MDD) can affect work in various ways. Career management may entail choosing a less stressful job or asking an employer for accommodations such as flexible working hours and working from home.
A mental health crisis is an emergency where intense emotional distress overwhelms someone, making them unable to cope, function, or manage daily life, often leading to thoughts or actions that risk harm to themselves or others, such as suicidal ideation, self-harm, severe panic, or psychotic episodes. It's a temporary state of extreme difficulty, distinct from general bad days, requiring immediate support similar to a physical health emergency.
A major depressive episode (MDE) is a period characterized by symptoms of major depressive disorder (MDD). Those affected primarily exhibit a depressed mood for at least two weeks or more, and a loss of interest or pleasure in everyday activities.