What Jobs Have High Rates of Depression (and How Can They Find Help)?
There are high rates of depression in many jobs, not just the ones most people think about. Finding a new job is not always possible, but many professionals and executives go into a line of work after years of education and training, only to find out the job are causing burnout and stress. Learning why this happens can help mitigate the situation and make it easier to ask for help.
Caring for Others
Caregiver roles are almost always on top of the list for people who suffer from depression. This might include pastoral care professionals, spiritual leaders, nursing home staff or leaders, and those who care for elderly or ailing family members. The caregiving field may also include caring for children, social work, foster care, and other places where feeding, cleaning, and care for those whose basic needs are not met is key to their well-being. The depressive conditions may be difficult but also unpleasant circumstances of life can bring up difficulties as well.
Teachers or Educators
Professionals in education struggle now with lots of roles and less money. The demands of this profession for children of all ages, parents, and the system itself are under immense strain. This makes the teaching profession a top ten job with the highest rate of depression around. Ways to mitigate this is to have places where people can talk openly about the challenges with a counselor or therapist that is willing to help them break through the issues they are facing.
Hospitality
Waiters, bellhops, front desk staff, hotel staff, and food and beverage workers all suffer from a kind of stress that brings on depression due to the fast pace of their industry. A poorly paid job with long hours of standing and telling people what to make, how fast, and keep it accurate to make customers happy can be very stressful. The challenge can be made easier by finding a job that supports time away so it is not something that burns a person out. Since these jobs have a high turnover, it is important to practice good self-care while working in these roles.
Artists
Artists, writers, and others in this field may have no stable salary because they are working without a schedule or knowing when they will be on their next project. Many are self-sustaining so they have to work on their own schedule to keep things going. When life as an artist is stressful, people often try to hold multiple streams of income by working in other places to make money for rent and food, along with housing, or co-housing with other artists. This helps them stabilize their income while they make their art.
Hospital Staff
Anyone working in hospitals is likely to encounter struggles with mental health or depression. This is due to adverse conditions, life or death situations, less than usual schedules, and the logistics of working odd hours in a constant cycle of people coming in and out for treatment. There is hope for the future for those who work in these roles. They can often work flex schedules that allow for more time off in between and gives them a sense of structure while they plan time away from work to avoid burnout. Mental health issues are widely known in the health field so more options are available to help treat them and offer support than in the past.
The Palmetto Center is based on a Therapeutic Communty model. We help people learn how to live free of addiction. Our community support provides structure while trained counselors offer life skills training and therapeutic techniques to help you move past addiction. Our program provides a special focus for professionals including chiropractors, nurses, doctors, lawyers, and more who need help with addiction recovery. Call us to find out more: 866-848-3001.
