Mental health woes linked to workaholism

NEW research suggests the frenzied strain of modern work – ever-growing demands, constant interruptions and endless floods of information from phone, e-mail and text are causing epidemics of mental illnesses such as adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).

And these appear to be turning millions into workaholics.

This problem was highlighted by Norwegian and British psychologists who studied data from more than 6 000 people looking for symptoms of workaholism – an addiction to work at the expense of all other aspects of life.

The study, from the University of Bergen and Nottingham Trent University, revealed that around a third of those identified as workaholics also showed symptoms of adult ADHD (characterised by difficulty concentrating, remembering information, organising tasks and following directions).

A quarter of workaholics had symptoms of OCD (obsessive thoughts and compulsive activity such as checking doors are locked), according to the study published in the journal Plos One. Non-workaholics were around three times less likely to have these conditions.

According to a leading expert in work psychology, the demands of modern work are bringing out symptoms of adult ADHD and OCD in people who otherwise would not suffer them. And it is these conditions that are then tipping people into workaholism.

Dr Michael Drayton, a Birmingham-based clinical psychologist, says: “OCD and ADHD can make people work compulsively longer hours, leading to workaholism, which can exacerbate OCD and ADHD.”

Modern technology intensifies the cycle, he says. “The inability to switch off is made worse by cellphones and the disappearance of work boundaries. People are expected to answer e-mails at home.

“Employers have to take some sort of responsibility by setting firm boundaries between work and home,” he says. – Daily Mail