Depression Risk Increases With Hours Worked in Stressful Jobs

Stressful Jobs can lead to increased depression.

A new study in New Doctors found that depression increases for those who work increased hours in stressful jobs. In fact, working 90 or more hours a week was linked with increased symptoms of depression that were three times higher than those working 40-45 hours a week.

Workers who worked long hours more frequently qualified for a diagnosis of severe depression than their colleagues that worked shorter hours.

The University of Michigan research group who studied depression related to work hours employed a randomized clinical trial and advanced statistical methods. Those working stressful jobs for 40-45 hours a week had an increase in depression symptoms that exploded when work hours reached 90 or more.

This particular study was long-term, spanning 11 years and evaluating more than 17,000 first-year medical residents across the United States.

This study comes as a mental health crisis, pervasive to health care professionals such as physicians, nurses, and mental health professionals. This may indicate a need to decrease the number of hours many people work in health care.