Today is National Employee Health and Fitness Day, which falls within Mental Health Month, and the topic that is coming to my mind is depression. I have to confess to being uneducated on the issue. It was only recently that I realized that depression was a disability. Only recently, too, have I begun to realize how widespread depression is among women.

A 2003 survey conducted by the National Mental Health Association and American Women’s Health Association concluded that depression affects one out of five adult women at some time in their lives. And women diagnosed with depression rate it as the leading barrier to success.

Notes the report: “The impact of depression in the workplace is substantial. The condition is costly not only because of time missed from work, but when women who suffer symptoms do come to work, they are working well below potential or not at all. Worse, in many cases depression sufferers leave their jobs entirely.”

The good news is depression is treatable. An article in the Boston Globe several years ago advised sufferers to do two things: “Figure out how to get help, and figure out how you’re going to keep your job.”

Some employee assistance programs (EAP) can help. So can privately sought medical treatment and support. But judging from feedback we’ve gotten from readers, going to the boss can be fraught with challenges, from lack of understanding to downright disapproval.

The important thing is that help is sought. Your happiness, job and life could depend on it.

Find out more about:

· “Depression at Work”

· “Crying at Work”

· “When Work No Longer Works”

· “Audio: When Work No Longer Works”