Workaholics at Risk for Mental Health Disease

You may want to rethink your job/career if you currently clock more than 40 hours per week, because a new study has found workaholics to have an increased risk of developing mental health disease and disorders.

For the study, researchers from the University of Bergen, in Norway surveyed more than 16,000 working adults, with an average age of 37. Roughly 6,000 of the study's participants were men and 10,000 were women. Researchers discovered that workaholics had a greater risk of developing disorders like anxiety, panic attacks, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), compulsive disorders, and depression.

More specifically, researchers found that one-third of workaholics surveyed during the study had ADHD, whereas only 13% of non-workaholics had this disorder. 26% of workaholics also exhibited symptoms of compulsive disorder, while just 9% of non-workaholics has this disorder.

In terms of depression, 9% of workaholics surveyed during the study exhibited signs of this all-too-common mental illness, compared to just 3% among non-workaholics.

It's not uncommon for adults to clock more than 40 hours per week at their job, placing them at a greater risk for these mental disorders and others. According to a recent Gallup poll, the average American works 34.4 hours per week, which is longer than many other first-world nations. Full-time workers in the United States, however, clock an average of 47 hours per week, which is just shy of being a full six days.

But what if you're a workaholic who's not showing signs of mental disorder? As explained by one of the study's lead authors, doctors should still take notice of a patient's working schedule, even if he or she is not exhibiting signs or symptoms of mental disorder.

"Physicians should not take for granted that a seemingly successful workaholic doesn't have these disorders," said Schou Andreassen, one of the study's lead authors.

Ideally, you should strive to work no more than 40 hours in a week. This isn't always an option, especially for workers in certain industries. However, you have to ask yourself if earning those extra few bucks is really worth the toll it takes on your health. This study focused specifically on the mental health aspect of working more than 40 hours per week. Other studies, however, have identified other problems associated with working long hours, such as an increased risk of heart disease and even stroke.

This study was published in the journal PLoS One.