Being depressed at work
SAMHSA’s National Helpline | SAMHSA
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SAMHSA’s National Helpline is a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service (in English and Spanish) for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders.
Also visit the online treatment locator.
SAMHSA’s National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357) (also known as the Treatment Referral Routing Service), or TTY: 1-800-487-4889 is a confidential, free, 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a-year, information service, in English and Spanish, for individuals and family members facing mental and/or substance use disorders.
This service provides referrals to local treatment facilities, support groups, and community-based organizations.
Also visit the online treatment locator, or send your zip code via text message: 435748 (HELP4U) to find help near you. Read more about the HELP4U text messaging service.
The service is open 24/7, 365 days a year.
English and Spanish are available if you select the option to speak with a national representative. Currently, the 435748 (HELP4U) text messaging service is only available in English.
In 2020, the Helpline received 833,598 calls. This is a 27 percent increase from 2019, when the Helpline received a total of 656,953 calls for the year.
The referral service is free of charge. If you have no insurance or are underinsured, we will refer you to your state office, which is responsible for state-funded treatment programs.
In addition, we can often refer you to facilities that charge on a sliding fee scale or accept Medicare or Medicaid. If you have health insurance, you are encouraged to contact your insurer for a list of participating health care providers and facilities.
The service is confidential. We will not ask you for any personal information. We may ask for your zip code or other pertinent geographic information in order to track calls being routed to other offices or to accurately identify the local resources appropriate to your needs.
No, we do not provide counseling. Trained information specialists answer calls, transfer callers to state services or other appropriate intake centers in their states, and connect them with local assistance and support.
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Last Updated: 08/30/2022
Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs
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Misusing alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs can have both immediate and long-term health effects.The misuse and abuse of alcohol, tobacco, illicit drugs, and prescription medications affect the health and well-being of millions of Americans. NSDUH estimates allow researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and the general public to better understand and improve the nation’s behavioral health. These reports and detailed tables present estimates from the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH).
Alcohol
Data:
- Among the 133.1 million current alcohol users aged 12 or older in 2021, 60.0 million people (or 45.1%) were past month binge drinkers. The percentage of people who were past month binge drinkers was highest among young adults aged 18 to 25 (29.2% or 9.8 million people), followed by adults aged 26 or older (22.4% or 49.3 million people), then by adolescents aged 12 to 17 (3.8% or 995,000 people). (2021 NSDUH)
- Among people aged 12 to 20 in 2021, 15.1% (or 5.9 million people) were past month alcohol users. Estimates of binge alcohol use and heavy alcohol use in the past month among underage people were 8.3% (or 3.2 million people) and 1.6% (or 613,000 people), respectively. (2021 NSDUH)
- In 2020, 50.0% of people aged 12 or older (or 138.5 million people) used alcohol in the past month (i.e., current alcohol users) (2020 NSDUH)
- Among the 138.5 million people who were current alcohol users, 61.6 million people (or 44.
4%) were classified as binge drinkers and 17.7 million people (28.8% of current binge drinkers and 12.8% of current alcohol users) were classified as heavy drinkers (2020 NSDUH) - The percentage of people who were past month binge alcohol users was highest among young adults aged 18 to 25 (31.4%) compared with 22.9% of adults aged 26 or older and 4.1% of adolescents aged 12 to 17 (2020 NSDUH)
- Excessive alcohol use can increase a person’s risk of stroke, liver cirrhosis, alcoholic hepatitis, cancer, and other serious health conditions
- Excessive alcohol use can also lead to risk-taking behavior, including driving while impaired. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 29 people in the United States die in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver daily
Programs/Initiatives:
- STOP Underage Drinking interagency portal - Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking
- Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking
- Talk.
They Hear You. - Underage Drinking: Myths vs. Facts
- Talking with your College-Bound Young Adult About Alcohol
Relevant links:
- National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors
- Department of Transportation Office of Drug & Alcohol Policy & Compliance
- Alcohol Policy Information Systems Database (APIS)
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Tobacco
Data:
- In 2020, 20.7% of people aged 12 or older (or 57.3 million people) used nicotine products (i.e., used tobacco products or vaped nicotine) in the past month (2020 NSDUH)
- Among past month users of nicotine products, nearly two thirds of adolescents aged 12 to 17 (63.1%) vaped nicotine but did not use tobacco products. In contrast, 88.9% of past month nicotine product users aged 26 or older used only tobacco products (2020 NSDUH)
- Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death, often leading to lung cancer, respiratory disorders, heart disease, stroke, and other serious illnesses.
The CDC reports that cigarette smoking causes more than 480,000 deaths each year in the United States - The CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health reports that more than 16 million Americans are living with a disease caused by smoking cigarettes
Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use data:
- In 2021, 13.2 million people aged 12 or older (or 4.7%) used an e-cigarette or other vaping device to vape nicotine in the past month. The percentage of people who vaped nicotine was highest among young adults aged 18 to 25 (14.1% or 4.7 million people), followed by adolescents aged 12 to 17 (5.2% or 1.4 million people), then by adults aged 26 or older (3.2% or 7.1 million people).
- Among people aged 12 to 20 in 2021, 11.0% (or 4.3 million people) used tobacco products or used an e-cigarette or other vaping device to vape nicotine in the past month. Among people in this age group, 8.1% (or 3.1 million people) vaped nicotine, 5.4% (or 2.1 million people) used tobacco products, and 3.
4% (or 1.3 million people) smoked cigarettes in the past month. (2021 NSDUH) - Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2020 National Youth Tobacco Survey. Among both middle and high school students, current use of e-cigarettes declined from 2019 to 2020, reversing previous trends and returning current e-cigarette use to levels similar to those observed in 2018
- E-cigarettes are not safe for youth, young adults, or pregnant women, especially because they contain nicotine and other chemicals
Resources:
- Tips for Teens: Tobacco
- Tips for Teens: E-cigarettes
- Implementing Tobacco Cessation Programs in Substance Use Disorder Treatment Settings
- Synar Amendment Program
Links:
- Truth Initiative
- FDA Center for Tobacco Products
- CDC Office on Smoking and Health
- National Institute on Drug Abuse: Tobacco, Nicotine, and E-Cigarettes
- National Institute on Drug Abuse: E-Cigarettes
Opioids
Data:
- Among people aged 12 or older in 2021, 3.
3% (or 9.2 million people) misused opioids (heroin or prescription pain relievers) in the past year. Among the 9.2 million people who misused opioids in the past year, 8.7 million people misused prescription pain relievers compared with 1.1 million people who used heroin. These numbers include 574,000 people who both misused prescription pain relievers and used heroin in the past year. (2021 NSDUH) - Among people aged 12 or older in 2020, 3.4% (or 9.5 million people) misused opioids in the past year. Among the 9.5 million people who misused opioids in the past year, 9.3 million people misused prescription pain relievers and 902,000 people used heroin (2020 NSDUH)
- According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Understanding the Epidemic, an average of 128 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose
Resources:
- Medications for Substance Use Disorders
- Opioid Overdose Prevention Toolkit
- TIP 63: Medications for Opioid Use Disorder
- Use of Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder in Criminal Justice Settings
- Opioid Use Disorder and Pregnancy
- Clinical Guidance for Treating Pregnant and Parenting Women With Opioid Use Disorder and Their Infants
- The Facts about Buprenorphine for Treatment of Opioid Addiction
- Pregnancy Planning for Women Being Treated for Opioid Use Disorder
- Tips for Teens: Opioids
- Rural Opioid Technical Assistance Grants
- Tribal Opioid Response Grants
- Provider’s Clinical Support System - Medication Assisted Treatment Grant Program
Links:
- National Institute on Drug Abuse: Opioids
- National Institute on Drug Abuse: Heroin
- HHS Prevent Opioid Abuse
- Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America
- Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) Network
- Prevention Technology Transfer Center (PTTC) Network
Marijuana
Data:
- In 2021, marijuana was the most commonly used illicit drug, with 18.
7% of people aged 12 or older (or 52.5 million people) using it in the past year. The percentage was highest among young adults aged 18 to 25 (35.4% or 11.8 million people), followed by adults aged 26 or older (17.2% or 37.9 million people), then by adolescents aged 12 to 17 (10.5% or 2.7 million people). - The percentage of people who used marijuana in the past year was highest among young adults aged 18 to 25 (34.5%) compared with 16.3% of adults aged 26 or older and 10.1% of adolescents aged 12 to 17 (2020 NSDUH)
- Marijuana can impair judgment and distort perception in the short term and can lead to memory impairment in the long term
- Marijuana can have significant health effects on youth and pregnant women.
Resources:
- Know the Risks of Marijuana
- Marijuana and Pregnancy
- Tips for Teens: Marijuana
Relevant links:
- National Institute on Drug Abuse: Marijuana
- Addiction Technology Transfer Centers on Marijuana
- CDC Marijuana and Public Health
Emerging Trends in Substance Misuse:
- Methamphetamine—In 2019, NSDUH data show that approximately 2 million people used methamphetamine in the past year.
Approximately 1 million people had a methamphetamine use disorder, which was higher than the percentage in 2016, but similar to the percentages in 2015 and 2018. The National Institute on Drug Abuse Data shows that overdose death rates involving methamphetamine have quadrupled from 2011 to 2017. Frequent meth use is associated with mood disturbances, hallucinations, and paranoia. - Cocaine—In 2019, NSDUH data show an estimated 5.5 million people aged 12 or older were past users of cocaine, including about 778,000 users of crack. The CDC reports that overdose deaths involving have increased by one-third from 2016 to 2017. In the short term, cocaine use can result in increased blood pressure, restlessness, and irritability. In the long term, severe medical complications of cocaine use include heart attacks, seizures, and abdominal pain.
- Kratom—In 2019, NSDUH data show that about 825,000 people had used Kratom in the past month. Kratom is a tropical plant that grows naturally in Southeast Asia with leaves that can have psychotropic effects by affecting opioid brain receptors.
It is currently unregulated and has risk of abuse and dependence. The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that health effects of Kratom can include nausea, itching, seizures, and hallucinations.
Resources:
- Tips for Teens: Methamphetamine
- Tips for Teens: Cocaine
- National Institute on Drug Abuse
More SAMHSA publications on substance use prevention and treatment.
Last Updated: 03/22/2023
How to survive at work and stay happy: five tips
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Image copyright, Getty Images
Work is almost always stressful, but if you follow these simple rules, it can be significantly reduced or completely eliminated. The BBC Russian service has collected recommendations from psychologists, sociologists and other researchers on how to avoid "burnout" and feel happy at work.
1. Separate work and life. Even in thoughts
Thoughts about work cause neuroses that have a bad effect on work. This pattern, obvious to many, has now been confirmed by science based on the theory of boundaries - a discipline that studies the relationship of man to space and time, which he considers his own.
If you check your mail when you come home from work or on your day off, there is a risk that you will develop a neurosis. This has been proven in earlier work. However, even just thinking about what you might have in your workbox right now, you are at the same risk and most likely expose your loved ones to it.
The theory is outlined in a paper by Virginia Tech Associate Professor William Becker entitled The Gentle Killer: Monitoring Electronic Communications and the Psychological State of Employees and Their Spouses.
"The demands of work and non-work life compete with each other, and people are faced with a dilemma that creates anxiety and threatens both work and personal life," writes Becker.
Research has already shown that stress at work and bringing work home is bad for family relationships, but a new study says you don't have to work from home to experience the effect. Just thinking about it is enough.
The authors of the paper decided to focus on electronic correspondence. Checking work mail or chat in private time is one of those things that lies at the intersection of personal and business, and in different companies this issue is solved in different ways.
The responsibility for creating an atmosphere of nervousness ultimately lies with the boss - this is the conclusion Becker and his co-authors come to.
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Bosses, Becker writes, always let employees know if they expect them to work "always on."
"Expectations like these, whether real or imagined, cause burnout and work-life imbalance. This is far more damaging than wasting the time it takes to read and answer all work emails when you get home," write the authors. research.
Due to modern communication technologies, it is more difficult than ever for employees to separate work and family, and the expectation that a person will change social roles on the fly makes the situation even more difficult.
"Our work reveals a sad reality: a flexible working day often turns into an endless working day," sums up Becker. The solution he proposes is quite obvious. It's best for bosses to make it clear that they don't expect subordinates to check email outside of work, and subordinates not to.
2.
Photo author, Getty Images
Image caption,Try to take your mind off your salary
Working for money is unproductive, scientists say.
Scientists have proven that the thought of a reward at the end of a difficult and long work - for example, the thought of a salary at the end of the month - does not give a person motivation.
In a study published in July by Caitlin Wooley, associate professor of marketing at the Graduate School of Management. Johnson at Cornell develops this idea.
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"Motivation changes as the strength of the association between an action and a certain outcome changes," she writes. Simply put, this means that work is intrinsically motivated when it is perceived as an end in itself.
"Then a person is motivated to continue activities for his own sake, because he cannot separate the benefit from the task from the task itself," writes Wooley, coming to the conclusion that it is better to give remuneration for work right in the process, and better even before it starts. .
Her theory is supported by an experiment in which participants were given different tasks (for example, watch a video, complete a task, or read a book). As a result of the work, they were either given chocolate or paid money.
Based on participants' behavior and conversations after completion of the experiment, the researchers realized that the earlier a person received a reward, the more obvious was the relationship between the work process and the pleasure of receiving a prize or payment. And as a result, intrinsic motivation increased.
3. Block yourself from information noise
Turning on a work computer, a person finds himself in several communication environments at once. Different information comes to us through different channels, requiring us to respond.
This effect of information noise leads to the fact that we end up distracted, and at least a couple of hours a day are spent aimlessly wandering through social networks. In addition, work stress increases.
Image copyright, Getty Images
Image caption,Procrastination is also a reaction to stress
In the summer of 2017, the Bitrix24 analytical center polled more than a thousand representatives of Russian companies. 67% of the survey participants said they feel the pressure of information noise during the working day.
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About a third of respondents admitted that they pick up the phone every six minutes or more, and also cannot concentrate on one task for more than 10 minutes.
Companies solve this problem in different ways, a popular measure is the regulation of the information environment in the office, but the problem is rather in the biological structure of a person. When a person shares information about himself - and this is what most of our activity on social networks consists of - his dopamine production is activated.
That is why in those moments when concentration is required of us at work or it is simply difficult for us, we think about social networks, reach into our pocket for the phone, and productivity drops.
There are several simple ways to isolate yourself from information noise - solve problems not simultaneously, but in turn; take small breaks from work and focus on breathing when getting up from the computer, and turn off unnecessary applications on the phone before the start of the working day.
4. Don't be a workaholic
If you feel like you're irreplaceable, the next step is a nervous breakdown, says researcher Gordon Peterson.
Actually, everyone loves workaholics. If a person works hard and achieves a lot, he is successful. For some, being labeled a workaholic is a badge of honor.
However, there are people who put work above everything else - relationships, health, impressions and, of course, leisure. The price they pay for success is too high.
- How young Japanese burn out at work
It's important to understand that not every person who works hard is a workaholic, writes psychotherapist Brian Robinson, author of the book Chained to the Table about workaholics.
"Workaholism is not determined by how many hours you spend at work, but by what goes on in your head," he writes.
To understand. Are you a workaholic, just answer the following questions. If most of the answers are positive, it might be worth considering.
- You are thinking about how to free up time for work
- You often spend more time at work than you intended
- You work to avoid guilt, anxiety, helplessness and depression, and this helps you
- If you forbidden to work, you fall into a depressed state.
In 2016, the Workaholics Anonymous organization held its first session in Britain. She helps people understand that they are workaholics and tries to heal them through group sessions and a 12-step program.
This program, however, is not suitable for everyone, since workaholics are offered to turn to religion and the final stage in the program is the knowledge of God.
5. Communicate with colleagues to avoid depression
Depression is one of the most common psychological ailments. Workplace depression is also common. Psychologists in the US estimate the economic cost of work depression at $44 billion a year, Psychology Today magazine points out.
Most of this damage is not due to the lack of people in the office due to depression, but the so-called presenteeism - people come to the office despite depression and work far from their full potential.
The main thing, of course, is not abstract figures of financial damage and not abstract concepts like presenteeism, but the fact that hundreds of millions of people around the world work in spite of depression, suffering from it.
Moreover, in an office environment it is considered indecent to talk about a psychological state, and if it turns out that a person has been diagnosed with depression, they often begin to be treated with suspicion. It is still taboo in workplaces to talk about mental health.
Last year's poll in Britain showed that 36% of Britons are ready to openly discuss illnesses at work, 26% - lack of money, 18% - sex, and only 13% - about their mental health.
Thus, depressed people often decide to work in spite of it, even to the point of a nervous breakdown.
Meanwhile, it is the friendly attention of colleagues to the psychological problem that helps a lot, says 36-year-old Natalie Hall, who suffered from depression at work and eventually had to go to the hospital.
"It's important that someone is willing to give you time. Not trying to solve the problem, just being there is the main thing," she says.
"Don't do anything too serious, just take your time and ask if everything is okay, don't pass by. It's important to really take some time to talk to people."
"At work we think about business, but do we understand what is happening in the lives of our colleagues?"
How to get rid of depression at work
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07/24/2020 Normal Importance
State service for psychological support
How to get rid of depression at work
Depression at work
One of the signs of depression at work is a long stay in a state of despondency, unwillingness to see colleagues, anxiety, apathy. The work loses its iridescent colors for a long time, any action requires exorbitant stress. The decrease in vitality and positive perception of what is happening around most often occurs gradually. Occasionally, depression at work can occur suddenly: after leaving a vacation or returning from a business trip.
What can cause depression at work
- Unfulfilled expectations. For example, an employee wanted to make a career, but two years have passed, and no changes have occurred. As a result, self-esteem falls, the employee begins to look for the reasons for his failure, and does not find an answer. As a result, he does not see a way out.
- Disappointment in their profession, lack of desire to change their occupation. A person is aware of the need for change, but cannot decide on them.
- Financial difficulties, unreasonably low wages, unfulfilled own potential.
- Conflict with colleagues at work.
What to do?
- Depression at work is normal. Remember that depression is a natural feeling and is temporary.
Knowing that depression will eventually go away will make it less scary.
- Try to move more at work. Walking can help you feel better. Choose a new, longer route to work. The same applies to the movement as a whole. Try to set aside time for gymnastics at work, this will make you distract from problems and longing
- Compare your career with the careers of your friends. If you think your career is terrible, compare it to less fortunate acquaintances, it will make your depression seem less serious.
- Rearrangement at the workplace. When you get into a state of depression, you begin to associate problems with everything that surrounds you. Your depression can reach the limit if your workplace serves as a constant reminder of your problems. So make a small change. The changes don't have to be drastic. Let them be small. Clean out your desk, add a new desk lamp, hang a new calendar on the wall. All this can change your mood for the better.
- Think back to your past successes. Spend half an hour reviewing all your previous career achievements and highs. What are your strengths? What made you successful before? This will help you gain self-confidence, understand the reasons for failures, and find new ideas for success in the future.
- Do something to help yourself. The best way to get rid of depression at work is to take action. Think and try to answer the questions: What is your problem? How can you overcome it? If you start doing something to solve your problems, then you simply will not have time for worries and depression. Actions will occupy your mind and give you what you are looking forward to. Once you start getting the results you want, it will be much easier for you to maintain a positive mindset.
You can always ask for a free consultation from a specialist of the Employment Center, which provides a state service for psychological support for unemployed citizens at the place of their registration.
