And The Most Depressing Jobs Are ...

Workers In Restaurants And Personal Care Have Highest Depression Rates, Study Says

(AP)  People who tend to the elderly, change diapers and serve up food and drinks have the highest rates of depression among U.S. workers.

Overall, 7 percent of full-time workers battled depression in the past year, according to a government report available Saturday.

Women were more likely than men to have had a major bout of depression, and younger workers had higher rates of depression than their older colleagues.

Almost 11 percent of personal care workers - which includes child care and helping the elderly and severely disabled with their daily needs - reported depression lasting two weeks or longer.

During such episodes there is loss of interest and pleasure, and at least four other symptoms surface, including problems with sleep, eating, energy, concentration and self-image.

Workers who prepare and serve food - cooks, bartenders, waiters and waitresses - had the second highest rate of depression among full-time employees at 10.3 percent.

In a tie for third were health care workers and social workers at 9.6 percent.

The lowest rate of depression, 4.3 percent, occurred in the job category that covers engineers, architects and surveyors.

Government officials tracked depression within 21 major occupational categories. They combined data from 2004 through 2006 to estimate episodes of depression within the past year. That information came from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, which registers lifetime and past-year depression bouts.

Depression leads to $30 billion to $44 billion in lost productivity annually, said the report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. To read the full report, click here.

The various job categories tracked could be quite broad, with employees grouped in the same category seemingly having little in common.

For example, one category included workers in the arts, media, entertainment and sports. In the personal care category, a worker caring for toddlers at a daycare center would have quite a different job from a nursing aide who helps an older person live at home rather than in a nursing home.

Just working full-time would appear to be beneficial in preventing depression. The overall rate of depression for full-time workers, 7 percent, compares with the 12.7 percent rate registered by those who are unemployed.

[teejbowles]

I am not certain where you obtained your information about the most depressing jobs, but you could not be more incorrect. I have worked in the Human Service industry for over 16 years and know for certain it is one of the most rewarding careers available. It is an honor to share a day with a child or a disabled person, and to be paid for it is a blessing. There is no "job" greater than that of one who teaches, and the rewards and sense of accomplishment are far greater than simply closing a great deal or cashing a large paycheck(that will most likely be spent on junk that is insignificant as well.) Workers I know rarely call in sick to work, because they are aware of the vital services they provide. These workers are paid above minimum wage and society is fortunate to have such a dedicated group of people to perform the tasks deemed "beneath" them. Changing a diaper, teaching a child to walk, exploring the world, listening to what they have to say, and just being there for them is what they need most, though few parents are willing to give these. The best "job" I''ve ever had was body surfing, attending amusement parks, getting to act like a child and spending 13 years of time with my own children. Can''t believe I was actually paid to do it. Tough "job", but someone has to do it! Now I work with disabled adults and the "job" is more rewarding than any thus far. Perhaps a significant pay raise would pull us out of our "depression", though no one I know is in this business for the money.

[klingon69]

"King Turdd of ***** Island."

Throne located in the "white-tile" room.

[klingon69]

Developed by the U.S. in World War II by a team of Harvard chemists led by Louis Fieser, its name is a combination of the names of its original ingredients, coprecipitated aluminum salts of naphthenic and palmitic acids. These were added to the flammable substance to cause it to gel."
Posted by Iceman_1960 at 08:24 AM : Oct 14, 2007

And don''t forget the White Phosphurous(sp) igniter

[iceman_1960]

RE: "The service industry sucks!"

That''s what Monica Lewisnky says about interning also.

[jetlizhan]

snidegrass -

you sound life a very interesting person who''s had a ''colorful'' life. hope you''re happy, because that''s all that''s important.

[hwy71so]

Man, what a bummer...

[tnt1954]

the job of king is no picnic either. people
out to throw ya off the throne. in fact
there is no good job. they are all depressing.
in fact work itself is depressing. see if you
can get arrange to get ssi for depression then
you can stop working and you won''t be depressed
anymore. ironic isn''t it.

[tnt1954]

staycalm i have no suggestions. i was a child
actor growing up till i was 14, when i had
health problems. it was very surrealistic
all the time. the constant backbiting, jockeying
for position in the race to the top. stabs
in the back. weird hours. you''re in a different
century on the set or on location, you come
off it, and you wonder where you are. its suddenly
1960 and you were just in 1920, dressed like it too.
it really weirds people out. thank god i left
show biz at age 14. and then there''s the music
business, even weirder. did that for awhile too.
women hitting on you, their husbands or boyfriends
want to kill you, people out in the parking lot
wanna beat the *** out of ya, just for fun.
drunks everywhere. its terrible. no money or
ya got robbed. why bother. people stoned outta
their minds. awful. so a job taking care of
elderly parents is totally groovy. i do that
now too. and get ssi. and medicaid. its the answer.
peace.

[simpleguy234]

People in the service industry get absolutely ZERO respect from the majority of those who never have worked there before. It seems this might be cause by the fact that other industries are so routine and every day goes the same. I''ve been in line late night at a gas station when quite a few people showed up at once. I heard people in line bashing the cashier for not moving fast enough when a half drunk guy kept requesting different cigarettes. Others were saying it was poor management for not having more people there. These people all of the sudden think they know everything about the business. 99% of the time this line wouldn''t have been like this, so is the manager supposed spend thousands of dollars a year in labor on the what if? The guy with the degree and the desk job like theirs wont let that happen. Everyone needs to back off and realize that in the service industry, things ARE NOT ROUTINE, and you have to deal with that - dont take it out on the workers who are busting their butts for minimum wage.

[l8c6]

USAyesterday

But that''s what we are now. A service society serving the other half, the information society.

[usayesterday]

The service industry sucks!

No other industry in the world pays so little to people who work the hardest... mostly for... OTHER PEOPLE! The prospects of moving up the "lader" is pathetic at best. So one may become a general manager of a particular store/restaurant location, that simply translates to "King Turdd of ***** Island."

So many people disrespect those who wait on us/serve us by calling them names, yelling at them because they took longer than 5 seconds to bring us our food or beverage.

It is no wonder that so many of the workers in the service industry have depression or serious bouts of depression at one time or another. It certainly explains why the vast majority of them smoke like a train, at every break they get. It''s the only narcotic release that people have during work hours. People whom I''ve worked with in the past would light up two cigs within their 5-minute break, especially if they had just dealt with a real SOB of a customer.

[middleman8]

Everyone eventually learns,
LIFE IS HARD THEN YOU DIE.

[bb19631]

The wages are not the problem. The same old routine over and over again, day in and day out. Work burn out also is a contributing factor. The ungrateful people we take care of, the ungrateful family members. We work 2 weeks without a day off. Mentally and physically burned out. The gas mileage we rack up. The mileage on our cars. We have our own families to take care of, no one sees that. We are not home health aides, we are personal slaves. We are doing a service. If anyone cares.....

[gretagreen]

The jobs associated with depression appear to are be low-paying. Maybe that''s more of a cause of the depression than the job itself. It''s depressing to be poor.

[gretagreen]

Hi Staycalm:
I''d be depressed too if I was in your situation. See if you can change it so you''re not caring for your elderly parents by yourself. Also, go to a doctor and see if there is a physical component to your depression with which he/she can help.
Good luck!

[iceman_1960]

"The best cure for depression is exercise. Ask your doctor if getting off your asss is right for you!!!"
- Posted by downtowner97 at 03:22 PM : Oct 14, 2007

This is so true.

It can be a vicious circle, since depressed people lack the energy to begin an exercise program, but exercise has been shown to be as effective as anti-depressant medications, and without the nasty side effects of the latter.

Source:

"(Reuters) Exercise on par with drugs for aiding depression"

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070919/hl_nm/exercise_depression_dc_1

[staycalm]

When I was in school I was depressed because I never felt I was popular enough and my parents were always fighting. When I worked full time I was depressed because I never got the hang of office politics and usually ended up on the wrong side of them. When I got married and had kids I was depressed because I worried constantly about my kids and fought constantly with my alcoholic husband who didn''t work. I find most modern movies to be depressing - a lot of action, violence and loveless *** - as well as modern music, particularly rap which is the same as the movies. Now I alone take care of my eighy six and ninety year old parents while my brother and his kids steal everthing out of their house. Any suggestions?

[downtowner97]

The best cure for depression is exercise. Ask your doctor if getting off your asss is right for you!!!

[kiwi_chick]

just when i was thinking how insightful and thoughtful and dead on some of these posts were...those freaking idiots whispyseas and stopiraq butted in to ruin my reading pleasure. How freaking depressing.

[whispyseas]

'' ... most disciplinary action goes to kids age 5 & less as they commit most crimes, though are most likely to suffer injury or death as a result of discipline ... ''

'' ... the lord sang scream my name & blame everyone but yourself, & dared kids sang scream our names & blame everyone but yourselfs ... ''

'' ... 300 hike naked dance dressed folk in 300 days to 300 weeks visiting up to 36 sick beds and 36 villages each night dancing get well feed world songs rallied around 100s millions sick beds drifting 10s millions spore bloom weed dragon trail fickle first aid lunch farm cottage studio trail crossing yseedsberry trail groups can assemble 90,000 little museums of medical you are here map song dance skit kit and still squeeze in up to 20 minutes each day of danceing porno get sick tax world songs ... ''

'' ... i threw grown men off backs of dragons to break all their bones, landing them in seaweeds that venomize them to keep them live for surgical recovery, it turned me on ... though they were all volunteers that enjoy that ... but everyone does it now and then, even grown men ... ''

'' ... one little naked girl on a newsdesk and the world is full of naked girls on newsdesks, one little armed dressed boy on a newsdesk, and the world is full of armed dressd boys on newsdesks ... ''