The rate of emotional problems such as anxiety and depression has increased by 45-50 per cent among corporate employees in the last eight years, reveals a recent study. Delhi ranks first in the list with maximum respondents suffering from lifestyle disorders
If you are an employee at a private firm dealing with deadline pressures, high stress levels and performance-related worries, then you are more prone to depression than the rest. The rate of emotional problems such as anxiety and depression has increased by 45-50 per cent among corporate employees in the last eight years, reveals a recent study by ASSOCHAM. It also states that nearly 42.5 per cent of employees in private sectors are afflicted from depression or general anxiety disorder as compared to government employees with lesser levels of psychological demand at work, reveals an ASSOCHAM study.
The report is based on the views of 1,250 corporate employees from 150 companies across 18 broad sectors like media, telecom and knowledge process outsourcing (KPO) et al. A study ‘Preventive Healthcare: Impact on Corporate Sector’ reveals that depression is the first hard hit disease that was observed among the respondents, with 42.5 per cent of the corporate employees suffering from this lifestyle disease. The report included the major cities like Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Hyderabd, Pune, Chandigarh and Dehradun. A little over 200 employee were selected from each city on an average. Delhi ranks first in the list, followed by Bengaluru, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Hyderabad and Pune.
As per the corporate employees’ survey result, obesity is the second hard hit disease that was observed among the respondents. With 23 per cent of the sample corporate employees suffering from obesity, it can modify occupational morbidity, mortality and injury risks that can further affect workplace absence, disability, productivity and healthcare costs. High blood pressure and diabetes are the third and fourth largest disease with a share of nine per cent and eight per cent respectively. Spondolysis (5.5 per cent), heart disease (four per cent), cervical (three per cent), asthma (2.5 per cent), slip disk (one per cent) and arthritis (1.5 per cent) are the diseases that are mostly suffered by corporate employees.
Around 55 per cent of the survey respondents fall under the age bracket of 20-29 years. “Corporate employees have to survive the stiff global competitive environment to save their jobs, adding pressure on their health, leading to silent diseases,” said DS Rawat, secretary general ASSOCHAM. Nearly 38.5 per cent of corporate employees sleep less than six hours in a day due to high stress levels that arise out of tough targets set by employers and cause diseases like depression, hypertension and sugar.
In terms of physical fitness, it was found that around 57 per cent of the employees in the private organisation said they ‘do not exercise at all,’ 23 per cent do physical workout devoting less than one hour per week, 12 per cent of the employees exercise for one-three hours per week and eight per cent of employees exercise for three-six hours per week and merely seven per cent stay fit by exercising for more than six hours per week.
The majority of government employees said that they ‘do exercise’ and physical workout to stay fit by exercising for more than eight hours per week. The paper indicates that dedicated workout (exercise) can delay or prevent diabetes, some cancers and heart problems. It even reduces feelings of depression and anxiety. However, lack of exercise may increase risk factor for developing headaches.
“Work pressure is a killer these days. lack of self confidence, unrealistic expectations and a nutrient deficient diet are factors that trigger the condition, too. Biological, psychological and environmental factors also play a role. Both genetic and neurochemical changes have been linked to depression, caused by the underactivity in neurotransmitters, which play an important role in the brain”, said Dr BK Rao, chairman of ASSOCHAM Health Committee Council. Rawat further said that taking up corporate wellness programme improves chronic and lifestyle diseases of India Inc.
Physical and psychological factors that increase the risk of depression are: