Tuesday, August 03, 2010

Is Your Job a Downer?



Katina writes to us from onlinecolleges to let us know about a post on which jobs are the top ten most depressing:

Check it out here: 10 Professions with the highest levels of depression.

What I found to be interesting is that the assumption is that the jobs
cause the depression.
For example:

  1. Social Workers: If you had to deal with abused children, unkind foster parents and less than stellar family dynamics all day, you might be depressed too. Those working in this field are three times more likely to be depressed than the general population, and many are so focused on helping others they don't get the help that they need themselves.

There's nothing in the post that addresses the chicken-or-egg? question. Maybe people with depression are drawn to certain fields. Artists are listed, with the statement that those who chose to work in the field "found it depressing." And everyone kind of gets it: doctors, nurses, social workers, lawyers, artists, janitors, food service people, finance, nursing home and childcare workers. What's left? What's the depression rate among bloggers?

10 comments:

SteveBMD said...

So in other words, if I'm a social worker and become depressed as a result of my work, I can then claim disability as a result of my depression, and then have my OWN social worker, who can then become depressed, etc, etc???

Sounds like a Ponzi scheme to me.

moviedoc said...

Chicken-egg, Ponzi scheme. Circular processes. We simply do not know what causes depressive disorders. If you feel bad after something bad happens to you, isn't that normal? We should only label it illness when it happens in the absence of adverse life circumstances. BTW, pj1280, depressive illness usually (almost always?) gets better, sometimes even without treatment, so disability claims should rarely be honored.

Aqua said...

For me I believe my depression was made worse by my forcing myself to remain in a job that was not in line with my values.

It was hard, because much of what I did (teach/help others develop skills) was me, and was what I loved doing, but I felt a huge disconnect with the topics I was teaching and the organization I was working for.

Anonymous said...

I think that all those who care for others (ie doctors ,Therapists ,Teachers ect..)Should learn self care to aviod the depression thing

Sarebear said...

I know my psychologist does yoga, whether he does it to help deal with the stresses of his job is something I DON'T know, but I suspect that it is more than a physical exercise for him. As well as he takes several vacations a year, to also help with the stress of it, as Dinah has also listed that she does.

Although I can't access therapy anymore until I get insured again but I still think of him as my therapist.

Anonymous said...

Law is the one field where pessimists truly excel, and pessimists, it seems to me, are probably more prone to depression. That being said, I am on antidepressants and in therapy because my law firm is a miserable place to work. I know many others in the same situation.

Ladyk73 said...

Although I was always drawn to social work, I was a patient before a social worker (msw).

however, all social workers are crazy to put up with the crap we do for so little pay :P

Kaliki said...

I am a hospice nurse. All my patients die, but lawyers make me feel depressed.

Sarebear said...

Husband not HAVING a job is a pretty big downer . . .

Anonymous said...

"If you feel bad after something bad happens to you, isn't that normal?"

No, we are only allowed two weeks to grieve and then we have a mental illness.