Twice the risk of depression if you are working too much
By Liz Lockhart
For those who are working 11 or more hours a day, the risk of a major depressive episode is more than double compared to people who work seven to 
eight hours a day, according to a new report.
The authors of the report are led by Marianna Virtanen of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health and University College, London. The report can be found in issue 25 of the online journal PLos ONE.
The authors followed about 2000 middle aged British civil servants and found a very strong association between overtime work and depression. This association stood unaffected when the analysis was adjusted for various other possible causes such as socio-demographics, work-related factors and lifestyle.
There have been similar previous studies but as the cut-off for ‘overtime’ work has not been standardised in previous studies, it is hard to compare results with earlier, similar work on this subject.
‘Although occasionally working overtime may have benefits for the individual and society, it is important to recognise that working excessive hours is also associated with an increased risk of major depression,’ says Dr Virtanen.
