According to Timo Kojonen, a psychologist and CEO of Therapion, depression affects roughly seven people in hundred among working-aged citizens.
While the focus of depression is often on the individual suffering from it, Kojonen reminds that depression is a very complex phenomenon for society as a whole. In working life, common symptoms of it are lesser productivity, lack of creativity, no growth, absenteeism, negative working environments, and pessimism.
“Besides the loss of economic power, depression is an emerging health crisis,” Kojonen says.
Stigma around depression is high
Kojonen explains that there is still a tremendous stigma around depression in working life and the topic itself is still rather sensitive in many companies.
“Sadly, in some firms you cannot go to the manager and talk about depression, and there are firms where depression is not an acceptable reason for medical leave,” he says. “If the company culture is very much about keeping quiet, then being careful might be wise. Unfortunately, not every company considers depression as something relevant and work-related.”
Kojonen underlines that the attitude towards depression must change, and depression should be an openly discussed topic, as well as a perfectly acceptable reason for medical leave.
“There are many effective treatments for depression, and the best of them is prevention.”
Timo Kojonen
Take care of the team members and employees
Kojonen reminds that everyone should take care of other people around them – and managers of companies are no different. According to Kojonen, the first step is to open the door to understanding things like depression. For this, Kojonen underlines the importance of raising awareness.
“There are many effective treatments for depression, and the best of them is prevention,” he says. “One important aspect of prevention is rising awareness. Depression should not be a taboo. If we can talk about depression and accept its existence as a human condition, we can better help people who suffer from it.”
On a more practical level, Kojonen prompts companies to establish contacts with mental health service providers who can create a flexible mental health program for the employees, even before acute cases exist.
“At Therapion, we can do this kind of service for companies in 15 languages,” Kojonen says.
