Depression in the workplace: Effects on short-term disability

We analyzed data from two national surveys to estimate the shortterm work d isability associated with thirty-day major depression. Depressed workers we re found to have between 1.5 and 3.2 more short-term work-disability days i n a thirty-day period than other workers had, with a salary-equivalent prod uctivity loss averaging between $182 and $395. These workplace costs are ne arly as large as the direct costs of successful depression treatment, which suggests that encouraging depressed workers to obtain treatment might be c ost-effective for some employers.