How to Support a Colleague with Depression

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• Make sure employees are aware of any special counselling services and other benefits they have available through the workplace.

• Develop an environment in which co-workers support each other. If an employee confides in a peer about stresses, medical problems or feeling generally depressed, co-workers should encourage that person to seek the help that is available.

• Have managers be affirming of employees who are likely suffering from stress and depression. They are more likely to seek help if they believe they are being supported.

• Decreased performance levels, if present, should also be a part of that discussion.

• Make sure a safety protocol is in place in the event that the depressed person is a risk to themselves or others in their safety-sensitive position. In other words, a severely depressed employee should not remain in a safety-sensitive position until a clinical assessment has taken place.

• User-friendly access and intake procedures conducted by Masters level clinicians; same-day access for employees in crisis.

• A supervisory referral component where job performance is at issue.

• Assessment systems where suicidal risk is explored with every client-symptoms are often hidden.

• Clinical counselors with specialized skills in recognizing depression and determining suicidal risk. Suicide is the lethal complication of depression, and even the mildly depressed will sometimes attempt to harm themselves.

• Consultant psychiatrists who are available to consult on difficult cases, and who may be available to conduct emergency assessments at short notice.

• Easy access for HR and other managers to Clinical Directors for advice on how to deal with particularly troubling situations in the workplace.

• A systemic approach which demonstrates a willingness to involve other family members. Spouses, children and other relatives are very much affected by the way the depressed person feels, and they should be part of the recovery process.

• Worksite and group interventions to help management teams and employees deal with particularly difficult transitions.