Depression emerges in the XXI century as "the malady of the century" and distress at work can eventually result in suicide. People complain about unemployment, the threat of being unemployed, and to be under pressure in order to keep their jobs. On the other hand, neither a profession nor a career assure a stable present and a promising future. Depression is one of common reactions for loss. Either loosing or being threatened to loose jobs or a structuring social context could lead to the fragmentation of psychic identity. This essay discusses the word "depression" within the singularities of contemporary occupational distress, based on current news, specialized national and international literature, as well as the author's psychiatric clinical praxis and research on workers' mental health.
depression; work; melancholy; social bond