Personal care and service
workers were more likely to have experienced a major depressive episode
(MDE) than people in any other employment category, according to
a National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) report released
October 11. Among full-time workers aged eighteen to sixty-four,
10.8 percent of personal care and service workers suffered an MDE
within the past year. The group with the second highest rate of depression
was food preparation and serving workers (10.3 %).
An MDE is defined as a period of two weeks or longer during which
there is either depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure and
at least four other symptoms that reflect a change in functioning including
problems with sleep, eating, energy, concentration and self-image.
Across all employment
categories, the annual average was seven percent of full-time workers
experiencing an MDE during the years 2004 to 2006, with women experiencing
nearly twice as many episodes as men. Employee depression costs
U.S. companies an estimated $30 to $44 billion per year, according
to NSDUH. ![]()
