“You can’t tell them about that. What will they think?”
This was the reaction I got when suggesting that I play open cards with my first boss about my depression. I still told him.
It is five years and two employees later and I still suffer from the disease that many call “the black dog.”
Yet this has not prevented me from giving my best in the workplace and becoming known for quality reporting. The fact that my bosses know about my illness empowers me. When I’m not 10-4, they understand. When I am more than 10-4, they see to it that I don’t burn out.
If you suffer from depression and have not yet told your boss, I suggest you do it now. If will free your soul. You will not feel like a sword is hanging over your head and you won’t have to battle with keeping a secret.
If you employ a depression sufferer, you must know:
It is not “the blues,” “a down day” or something they can get over. It is an intense feeling of immeasurable sadness, despair and hopelessness. It weighs you down and disables you. Depression affects the body (I get extremely tired when I am sick), feelings, thoughts and behaviours. These symptoms manifest in the patient’s behaviour.
And know this: it is out of his or her control.
A person with a cold cannot be ordered to stop sneezing, coughing or sniffing. Likewise, a depression sufferer cannot have more enthusiasm and less of a dead-person-walking feeling on demand. They cannot just stop crying or focus intensely. It is just not possible.
According to allaboutdepression.com, these tell-tale signs may indicate that someone in your office suffers from depression:
- Decreased productivity
- Morale problems
- Lack of cooperation
- Safety risks, accidents
- Absenteeism
- Frequent statements about being tired all the time
- Complaints of unexplained aches and pains
- Alcohol and drug abuse
If your employee has not confided in you about his/her condition, it may be that he fears your negative conclusion about his/her abilities. Depression was once a highly stigmatised problem, but more and more people are seeing it for what it is: the cross that an intelligent, perfectly capable person happens to bare.
If you know someone who suffers from depression, just be there and accept them. Understand that they cannot function optimally at all times. And know that when they do, they will excel.
Suggest that they contact the South African Depression and Anxiety Group.
To contact a counsellor between 8am-8pm Monday to Sunday, call: 011-234-4837
For a suicidal emergency contact 0800-567-567
24-hour helpline 0800-12-13-14
Also read: ADHD? Thrive anyway
Also read: Five things people with hidden depression do
