A recent study commissioned by the Taipei City Department of Health has shown that despite their high salaries and generous benefits, employees working in high-tech jobs are still susceptible to depression.
The anonymous online survey of 219 workers by the Can Love Foundation showed that 1.37 percent of its respondents suffered from serious depression, and 13.96 percent suffered from moderate depression.
The department said that workers afflicted with even a moderate level of depression need professional medical treatment to overcome the condition.
Lu Mei-fan (盧美凡) of the Association of Taiwanese Clinical Psychologists said that some employees cry when they wake up in the morning or even disappear without telling anyone where they are going.
The research found that while relatively few of the respondents suffered from serious depression, some of those that did sometimes used extreme methods in their attempt to relieve stress.
According to the survey, the most common method used to cope with stress is going shopping, although excessive shopping sprees can compound the original psychological problems by adding the burdne of financial debt to individuals' existing worries, Lu said.
Respondents identified "uncertain factors in thier working environment" as their top source of stress, followed by "conflicts between work and family life," and "facing the risk of having to change professions during middle age." They also said that they felt stressed by credit card debts and being unable to find romance at work.
Lu said that a lack of human contact when working in high-tech jobs could lead to abnormal behavior, and recommended that those suffering from depression seek help from a professional at one of the health centers throughout the nation.
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