It's 9 a.m. You have just arrived to work and sit at your desk and watch as your boss and co-workers trickle in for the day.

As you look at your co-workers you ponder: "I am depressed. Am I the only one?"

While the workplace can have its good days, it also can have its bad days. But for a person suffering from depression, work can at times amplify their feeling of worthlessness.

Glenn Caisey, programme manager of Mental Health Services at the Bermuda Hospitals Board, said that co-workers should be the first to spot the signs that something is wrong with a colleague.

Mr. Caisey said depression in the workplace should be examined as a way to promote employee wellness.

"In this day and age we have to be concerned about the work life of the employees and the emotional balance of the employees. It is important to spot when people are unhappy," said Mr. Caisey.

A change in character might be one indicator that something is wrong. A once chatty person may have little to say or a person who used to be productive may not seem to have the same work ethic.

These are just two of the many signs that these people could be experiencing emotional problems.

Mr. Caisey said that what lies at the core for some suffering from depression, especially in the working environment, was the loss of joy.

"The real genuine reason is that you are unhappy, you may be unhappy in yourself. Physical and emotional well being are synonymous in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. There is an intrinsic need for both of these lifestyles to be given equal consideration," he said.

Mr. Caisey added that, depending on the severity of the unhappiness and how pervasive it is, it could impact on the worker's life, which ultimately affects the way the workplace is viewed.

Stress plays a huge factor and can also be one of the catalysts for depression. The stress can be amplified by the sufferer not producing work fast enough or having a boss that is overly demanding or unconcerned about the worker's well being.

"You can break down all the physical components, the fatigue, the fact that you are not motivated, the fact that you are miserable, not content in your job, the fact that you may even be experiencing stress in your job, how you are being treated, how you perceive you are being treated," he said. "All these little components are magnified."

In finding an effective form of treatment, Mr. Caisey said that the individual has to have a personal stake in their treatment.

Dr. Larry Franklin, who runs a family counselling service, said that when it comes to depression in the workplace, "some people can't cope".

He added that anyone in the workplace who feels they are depressed should find someone they can form a conversational bond with.

This person becomes trusted and ultimately becomes a source of treatment.

He said that a depressed person often has a carry-over effect which follows them home, producing a continual cycle.

"You basically take it from one place to another," said Dr. Franklin. "Depressed people often leave work and return home sometimes to an empty house and wake the next morning to do the cycle all over again."

People who suffer from depression, Mr. Caisey said, in many cases don't know they have it or are unwilling to admit they have a problem.

As for Bermuda, Mr. Caisey said that there are no real concrete statistics to show the rate of depression and how it affects the workplace. He said that without this data it is difficult to determine the correlation between depression, its effects on the community, especially in instances of suicide.

"Depression is treatable," said Mr. Caisey.

For help or further information about depression contact;

Teen Services 292 - 4598

The Family Learning Centre 295 -1116

Child and Adolescent Service 236 -3770 ext 1781

Mental Health Services 236-3770