Depressed Employees Vulnerable To Presenteeism And Absenteeism

A new study released today in the
American Journal of Psychiatry examines the impact depression has on work
productivity. The study, conducted by researchers at Tufts-New England
Medical Center, compared depressed employees with two groups: those with
rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which is a condition associated with work
disability, and depression-free healthy employees. When compared, the
depression group was far more vulnerable to job loss, absenteeism (missed
work days) and presenteeism (impaired productivity while at work).
Furthermore, the researchers noted that even when depressed subjects
received treatment and experienced improvement in their clinical symptoms,
their work productivity was still impaired.


"In order for the United States to remain competitive and innovative,
it's vital to address the physical and emotional burden of depression,"
said Lead Author and Co-Investigator David Adler, MD, Senior Psychiatrist
at Tufts-New England Medical Center. "Depression hits at all levels of
health, and figuring out new ways for people to improve functioning is more
important than ever."


The three groups were surveyed using reliable, validated
self-administrated questionnaires. The Work Limitations Questionnaire (WLQ)
developed under the direction of Debra Lerner, MS, PhD, Study Principal
Investigator and Director of Tufts-NEMC's Institute of Clinical Research's
Program on Health, Work and Productivity, was used to measure the effect of
chronic health problems on job performance and productivity. The Patient
Health Questionnaire-9 was utilized to both screen and follow patient's
depression. The National Institute of Mental Health funded the four-year
study.


The study enrolled 572 patients who were recruited from February 2001
and March 2003 from primary care physician offices covered by Tufts Health
Plan, the Fallon Clinic and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care. Participants were
followed for 18 months. At baseline, 44 percent of the depressed group was
taking antidepressants, but were still clinically depressed.


"Depression is an issue that effects employees, their families and
employers," said Dr. Lerner. The cost of lost productivity is staggeringly
large. "There is a prevailing myth that many chronically ill people prefer
to go out on disability, but our experience is that most want to continue
to work and feel productive. Also, many realize that disability benefits
will not fully replace earnings and will result in economic hardship.


Instituting increased and improved services to help people with depression
remain productive could be a win/win for both employers and employees."



E Tufts-New England Medical Center

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