Despite the high rate of absence due to depression, 1 in 4 of those suffering from the illness admitted that they had not informed their employer of their problem. Among them, 1 in 3 admitted that in the current economic situation it could jeopardise their job.

The cognitive symptoms of depression (concentration problems, indecisiveness and/or forgetfulness) cause a significant reduction in normal work functioning and productivity, [2] and in people undergoing a depressive attack they occur 94% of the time. [3] The survey shows that awareness of these symptoms is poor: among those asked to indicate symptoms of depression, only 33% mentioned forgetfulness, 44% mentioned indecisiveness and 57% mentioned concentration problems. In comparison, 88% of people indicated feeling unwell or sad as a sign of depression.

Among the managers surveyed, an average of 1 in 3 reported that there were no official support points in their workplace to help deal with employee depression. The lack of support reached the highest level in Germany (44%) and the lowest in Turkey (10%). Managers in the UK (55%) were most likely to receive help from the HR department and managers in Turkey were most likely to receive help from medical staff (79%).

When asked what was needed to support people with depression in the workplace, managers most often mentioned psychological counselling more widely and improved legislation and government policy. In Turkey, managers most often expressed the need for better legislation (55%) and training for employees (63%). Managers in the UK and Turkey wanted improved counselling (56% and 53%), while the priority for German managers was training for immediate supervisors (53%).

Dr Vincenzo Costigliola, president of the European Depression Association, said: "The results of the IDEA survey show that there is still a lot of work to be done to raise awareness and support employees and employers to recognise as well as counteract depression in the workplace. We ask legislators to consider the impact of depression on the workforce and we charge them to address depression, workers and workplace safety."

The complete results of the IDEA survey will be published in 2013.

Bibliography:

1. Olesen J, Gustavsson A., Svensson M., et al, 'The economic cost of brain disorders in Europe', ('The economic cost of brain disorders in Europe'), Eur J Neurol 2012; 19:155-162.
2. Greer TL, Kurian BT, Trivedi MH, 'Defining and measuring functional recovery from depression', ('Defining and measuring functional recovery from depression'), CNS Drugs. 2010; 24(4):267-284.
3. Conradi HJ, Ormel J, de Jonge P, 'Presence of individual (residual) symptoms during depressive episodes and periods of remission - a 3-year prospective study' ('Presence of individual (residual) symptoms during depressive episodes and periods of remission: a 3-year prospective study'), Psychol Med. 2011; 41:1165-1174.