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Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners
How do I deal with depression at work?
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I struggle knowing if I should be honest about my depression with colleges at work. I have told my direct boss. What should I say to the people I work with? -
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Karen Amos
Counsellor, Personal Trainer
Walk and Talk is just what you need to begin living a life that you love. I'm Karen Amos and at Walk and Talk Australia … View Profile
Hi there,
Something tells me in your question that you would like to be honest with some of your work colleagues but are unsure of the reaction you might face. Trying to pre-empt reactions of others is like trying to read a story that hasn't been written - you just make it up and try to assume and guess what they might say.
What you really want to know is “if I do tell them and they react badly, how will I deal with that?”.
Well, there is always that possibility. And it is something you can think about (a lot!), but you won't know unless you carefully choose trustworthy people and test out your honesty, like you have with your boss.
What I think counts the most, is how you see yourself dealing with depression. That will be the impression that is left with your colleagues. If you are handling depression with support, then your colleagues may relate to you from their own experience, or learn from you that you can be honest at work, and live without fear of people's impression of depression.
Part of being honest about depression is helping to dispel the myths that it is a disorder that you need to fear, be ashamed of or must be hidden. Believing these ideas compounds the misconceptions within our communities, so your honesty is the beginning of change in your community - you champion!
Find me at Walk and Talk Australia to continue the conversation.
Karen
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Dr Simon Easterbrook-Smith
Health Professional
My research interests include immunology and the mechanisms of amyloid formation. The latter has implications for people who are dealing with Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease … View Profile
A hard question.
In my case, close family members know about my depression and alcohol abuse (I am in remission from both).
My two dearest IRL friends also know - this arose because I behaved very badly towards both of them when I was not in remission and I figured that I owed them an explanation (not an excuse).
They have all been tremendously supportive.
The only other person who knows (apart from my MH care team members of course) is my boss - he has both MB BS and PhD qualifications so I thought that he would understand. Also, I needed him to sign off on time that I had to spend IP (a few years ago). He was great and shared with me the fact that he has well-managed (meds and talk-therapy) Bipolar Disorder. Every so often we have a very private chat about our MH issues.
Just my experience but I hope that it might help you.Report this post
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