European Depression Day

[Apjp]

Just to remind everyone that today is European Depression Day. I never forget that I am a psychotherapist as well as an MEP. We do quite a lot out here too. Today we are focusing on employment and depression . There is a great deal of concern about insecure employment and it's potential effect on mental health. We need to be very careful not look at this as well as the effects of unemployment.

The EU and the euro is the chief cause of most of our misery these days. No escaping that

[Apjp]

If this is a joke it is highly inappropriate. If it is not it disrespects both professions at once.

In fairness what part of your job makes you a professional? Speaking as a member of European parliament btw not a psychologist.

[Apjp]

Yes, it is a technique now when an employee mentions to their boss that they are struggling with demands and workload.

The corporate response is to tell them it is all about 'prioritising the workload' when in fact the person may be trying to do two jobs because of cuts.

Never heard of a company yet cutting workload-only jobs. Then there is the relatively recent trick from the US of 're-organisation' usually run by people called 'change managers' (ie hatchet departments).

Step (1) Separate workers from jobs

Step (2) Halve the workforce

Step (3) Reunite the downsized workforce with the original workload.

That way companies can avoid saying they've run a redundancy programme. They've 're-organised'.

EDIT- The essential bit I almost forgot. Bring in the 'change managers' from an outside consultancy so that none of the bosses in place have to take any flak for the operation- they can point to an outside agency as being responsible. Thats the whole point of 'change management' consultancies.

End result is to grind on the workforce and keep them afraid if they complain they won't have any job at all in the next round of 'change management'.

Its things like this that have turned me off my degree altogether(business making up half of my degree which is business and languages with some economics). Id like to work/study in some of the Nordic countries such as Iceland or Norway and see if this bolloxology exists in more successful and just societies.

[Apjp]

Isn't "increased flexibility of the labour market" something for which the EU aims ?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisf...crisis-markets

People are indeed very anxious, with good reason, and many are suffering from depression.

I would suggest a remedy on a social level: opposing "flexibility of the labour market" tooth and nail by building strong trade unions again, and on a personal level, recommend regular moderate exercise (going for a walk ), out of doors, as a very good way of avoiding or getting out of depression. Also lots of social contact and of course giving out on internet boards.

Casualisation of labour, and lower wages, are deflationary. Stiglitz has again rightly said today that austerity just doesn't work and leads to economic depression. The current powers that be have no alternative to them.

The only way to oppose these policies is to regain national sovereignty and do away with the current clientelist system. Our society is to paraphrase a well known quote, run by insane people for insane objectives. And this is not within our control to change if we rest in the mentality that something better can replace the eu. I would say Cass the fact that you favour a replacement of the EU is a bit too ambitious. Countries like Greenland, Norway etc. look after their own affairs, and are all the better off for it. They still have free trade, but they make their own lawas and thus are not subject to the roman empires demands for cheaper serfdom.

[Count Bobulescu]

I think I suffer from some form of seasonal depression, looked over some notes/scraps from the past three or four years and without fail at this time of year I've felt quite depressed - again this year unfortunately - not suicidal or anything, but more like I'm carrying the world on my shoulders, coupled with almost constant tiredness, no energy to do anything and an inability to get out of bed in the morning (some mornings its almost physically impossible). But then come Spring I'm grand. Strange!

Thanks for reminding us Greengoddess, depression affects many people but I think we have to be careful when talking about the job/financial aspects of it... seems to me that people with depression just have it, personal circumstances don't seem to matter too much.

Lots of people don't have a "reason" to be depressed, like no job or whatever, and that fact makes them feel worse, guilty even.

Saoirse, sounds like you might have a bout of SAD, Seasonal Affective Disorder.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002499/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasona...ctive_disorder

[fluffybiscuits]

I think I suffer from some form of seasonal depression, looked over some notes/scraps from the past three or four years and without fail at this time of year I've felt quite depressed - again this year unfortunately - not suicidal or anything, but more like I'm carrying the world on my shoulders, coupled with almost constant tiredness, no energy to do anything and an inability to get out of bed in the morning (some mornings its almost physically impossible). But then come Spring I'm grand. Strange!

Thanks for reminding us Greengoddess, depression affects many people but I think we have to be careful when talking about the job/financial aspects of it... seems to me that people with depression just have it, personal circumstances don't seem to matter too much.

Lots of people don't have a "reason" to be depressed, like no job or whatever, and that fact makes them feel worse, guilty even.

That is how I find myself funnily enough and its like you described and its almost had quite some disastarous consequences (not suicide though, never that way!) . My tendency is to eat more in the cold weather and after shedding two stone its an uphill battle to keep it off and get rid of the notion that alcohol is the centre of a social life ,which for me it is not. Can I suggest just to battle the tiredness and feeling of no energy, go for a walk even for half an hour in the brisk cold with an MP3 player and a playlist of the most uplifting tracks you can find. I have a playlist I can send on or tracks and if you ever wanna chat just throw me a PM. Greengoddess reminds us thankfully that this is an issue that effects everyone.


Just as a side note if a job is causing someone to be depressed as a result of stress, under Irish law an employer is required to risk assess such risks and then put control measures in place . A risk assessment should deal what measures are there to deal with stress .