Half Of Psychologists Say They Suffer From Depression
The data published by the World Health Organization (WHO) in October 2015 show worrying figures, since It is estimated that depression affects around 350 million individuals worldwide. Experts have been warning for some time that depression has become the most common illness of the 21st century, along with stress and anxiety.
This pathology manifests itself with frequent variations in mood and with serious emotional problems that affect daily life. It is a serious problem that millions of people have to face, because it affects work, family, has a negative effect on interpersonal relationships and, in the worst case, can lead to suicide.
There is often a lot of talk about stress or burnout at work, but depression is also a serious problem in the work environment. In this context, in addition to great discomfort and suffering, depression causes a decrease in performance, accidents, as well as continuous changes in personnel. Some research They estimate that between 15% and 30% of professionals will suffer from some type of mental health problem during their working life. among them, depressive disorder.
A study coordinated by Dr. Marta Torres that was carried out in a health center in Lleida (Spain), analyzed 275 sick leave processes caused by mental health problems during one year. The analysis of the data provided interesting information, stating that depression was the cause of 68 percent of the total cases analyzed. Therefore, it is the most frequent cause of sick leave, followed by anxiety (12%), mixed anxious-depressive disorders (9%), affectivity alterations (2%) and other associated personality disorders such as abuse. of toxic substances. According to this study, 55 percent of patients with depression are over 40 years old, with the majority of cases being women.
Health professionals are the sector that has suffered the most from this disorder, and a recent investigation carried out in the United States concludes that doctors and dentists are the groups with the highest rate of depression and suicide. But in Spain, the situation is not more hopeful. The economic crisis in which the country is immersed has worsened in recent years and working conditions have changed for many employees.
The cuts by the government, the zero expectations of improvement, the low salaries and the stress resulting from the excessive workload and the little recognition for the work carried out by these professionals, among other factors, They contribute to feeding a situation that for many has become desperate.
Psychologist Arturo Torres, a regular contributor to the magazine Psicología y Mente, explains: “Depression is a serious and real problem that affects different areas of a person’s life. It has an impact on work performance, but working conditions also affect the person and can cause problematic situations on an emotional level, as well as depression. “This is an especially delicate issue for many young people, who view the future with pessimism.” Furthermore, Torres maintains that: “Work is one of the keys to an individual’s well-being, and given the low expectations of improvement, many young people decide to try their luck abroad, leaving everything behind. They even go to Latin America, something unthinkable a few years ago.”
Psychologists also suffer from depression at work
Because of the crisis, we have seen many groups take to the streets in search of labor and social improvements. Like nurses, teachers, lawyers, etc. But one of the groups that we have not seen manifest and that is barely talked about are psychologists. Have psychologists not suffered the crisis? According to psychologist Arturo Torrespsychologists find themselves in a dramatic situation. “In Spain, they have serious difficulties finding employment, they don’t even find precarious work and that is alarming. The vast majority of colleagues in my profession are either unemployed or work in other fields such as hospitality,” says Torres, who concludes that “psychologists have no expectations for the future in this country.”
But then, do psychologists also suffer from depression? That’s how it is. A study published in the United Kingdom states that almost half of psychologists (46%) suffer from this pathology. The survey was conducted by the British Psychological Societyand collects 1,300 testimonies in which the majority of psychologists declare feeling burnout, low morale and high levels of stress. It seems incredible that the professionals in charge of treating depression are just as depressed as the patients.
Do psychologists suffer from stress and burnout?
In addition to the 46% of psychologists who claim to be depressed, 49.5% feel like failures and 70% find their work stressful. These results were presented at the Psychological Therapies in the NHS conference held in London, and the data showed a 12% increase in stress among psychology professionals compared to the previous year, that is, 2014. On the other hand, On the other hand, cases of bullying had doubled from one year to the next.
Professor Jamie Hacker Hughesm, President of the British Psychological Society says: “Workplace health and wellbeing is vitally important and we should be aware of this. “I have worked and managed NHS services and have been able to see with my own eyes the effect of stress, work overload, incorrect supervision and burnout.”
Following these findings, leading UK mental health organizations have committed to supporting a collaborative effort to improve the wellbeing and resilience of psychologists who provide a key service to society. In collaboration with the New Savoy Partnership and the Public Health Englandthe British Psychological Society has prepared a Charter for Well-being and Resilience of Psychology staff (Charter for Psychological Staff Wellbeing and Resilience).
Following the results of the study carried out in the United Kingdom, It will be necessary to know if the same thing happens in Spain and, on the other hand, if the same thing happens in other areas of psychology, not just clinical. There are many branches of psychology, such as organizational psychology or social psychology, in which psychologists also play a great role.
What is important to understand after this survey is that psychologists are people too. They suffer, cry, get stressed and go through difficult stages in their lives. Psychologists do not live on another planet, but are also affected by the environment and the reality that surrounds us. In fact, it is an essential requirement for a clinical psychologist to be as objective as possible in their work, and that, on many occasions, requires going through a consultation to find emotional balance. Does it sound strange for a psychologist to go to another psychologist? Well it shouldn’t be.
