How to deal with a coworker who may be depressed

Question

Recently an intern joined me to work on a project. We are the only people working on this project. A month went by and it was going well; he was completing all the tasks in time and has the talent to have a good career ahead.

But now it seems that he doesn't have any interest in life and doesn't talk with anyone except when it is work-related.

Recently during lunch, he started asking questions like: "What's the point in living and why do people still breed when it is so difficult for them to live? Why is there so much poverty in world? Why are people so bad to each other?"

I didn't have any answers. I would understand if this question was from a teenager but he is 24-year-old adult. Not that adults don't feel helpless, but still I didn't expect that from him. I didn't answer anything and finished my lunch and returned to work. He randomly says stuff like, "No matter what we do in life, it will always be miserable."

He only says these things when there is no third person around. I am not sure if I can discuss this with anyone.

I am not sure if I should be worried about him, or if I should rather just let it go, focus on work only, and ask him to stop behaving like a teenager.

Answer 1

I originally wrote a comment but felt myself wanting to add more coming from the perspective of someone who has had the same thoughts as your coworker and lives with mental illnesses.

I think he may be depressed

I wouldn't begin to assume your intern is actually depressed until he starts to exhibit more related signs. The situation doesn't seem terribly serious at the moment, it could be family trouble, a relative passing away, or just something that has them upset (but sometimes it is hard to know). When you start to notice things like; not showing up for work (repeatedly), exhaustion (likely from lack of sleep), lack of communication, isolation, lower work quality than normal; that's when you should start to be more concerned. It's a tricky spot to be and deciding to encourage them to get help vs helping yourself is hard. At the end of the day, it's not your job to be a medical advisor if they need one, but that doesn't mean you can't be supportive.

Your best bet is to just listen and respond when appropriate, for right now. If the situation seems to become more serious, that's when you can begin suggesting they seek help outside of work. (They may already be seeking that help).

If you start to feel overwhelmed by the situation or if they continue this behavior with no change, then it starts to become a different discussion on whether or not they're just saying them because of social anxiety/awkwardness, etc.

Note - be careful with how you approach it as others have said. https://www.mentalhealth.gov/talk/friends-family-members Check out this source for some tips (even as a coworker some of these apply).

"I am not sure if I should be worried about him or just let it go"

It sounds like this person trusts you, so first and foremost, continue to listen if you can. You don't always have to respond or have an answer, they may just be shy or introverted too, and you allowing them to practice talking can be helpful. I would recommend (as others have) bringing up topics of your own interest to talk about during breaks to change the subject, you might find out they've got other interests and they're just not a great conversationalist (yet!).

Ignoring them when you may be the only person they feel they trust at work can cause the person to close up more or otherwise feel worse. However, as I said, It is not your job to be responsible for their mental health. You're in a position of support, not to provide treatment or actual medical advice.

"ask him to stop behaving like a teenager"

This behavior isn't necessarily exclusive to teenagers and younger adults. Mental illness, pessimism, etc can impact anyone of any age.

"I didn't expect that from him"

You've only known them a month, I think that's just a bad assumption.

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Personal Note: I personally choose to not bring any of these things into work even if I think about them, but I'm someone who has sought help and learned how to cope and adapt with these things. They may not be there yet but that doesn't mean they can't get there.

Answer 2

Firstly, in a work place it is not your responsibility to support people, or enhance their moods or care for their well-being, mental or otherwise. There are medical professionals available to assist with these problems. You are both there to do a job and, from your post, it doesn't sound like his work output is suffering as a result from this perceived change in attitude. So, from this perspective alone, I'd say there's nothing you should be doing aside from treating them professionally.

However, as someone else mentioned in their answer, to me this sounds like some pretty strong signs that the individual may be suffering from depression. Depression is a serious issue that affects a huge variety of people to varying degrees, but can have catastrophic outcomes. Since this individual seems to only take off their mask when around you, and you alone, it is an opportunity for you, should you wish to, to step in and offer some support and/or advice. Should you wish to go down this avenue, I'd recommend looking at n_plum's response as they have beautifully articulated the way in which to recognise if they are suffering from depression and the subsequent actions you can or should take.

Depending on the company policies and initiatives in place (my workplace has groups set up around Mental Well-being, for example), it may be that you can make them aware of that.

The main thing I'd like to add, without wanting to sound too accusatory or offensive to you, is that the stigma:

I am not sure if I should be worried about him, or if I should rather just let it go, >focus on work only, and ask him to stop behaving like a teenager.

that often surrounds those with depression is fairly ignorant and can be pretty destructive on the whole. For me, it's like expecting someone with a broken ankle to walk completely normally without any help/aid. Why should we expect someone with an injured mind to continue living without pain or difficulty?

Ultimately, whether or not you decide to take action with regards to this is entirely up to you as, provided their work isn't suffering, there's no professional obligation for you to do so. Should you wish to step in from a moral or compassion based perspective, then just please keep in mind that depression is extremely difficult to live with, for all people involved, so being supportive and offering sincere help is the best way to go. Just be aware that, depending on how close/involved you get with this person's depression (should it transpire they do, in fact, have depression), it can be quite a heavy load to carry.

Answer 3

You are not responsible for your coworker's happiness

Some 24-year-olds can still be emotionally immature, and he may already be seeking help for it.

I am not sure If I can discuss this with anyone.

I would keep the comments to myself as they are not threats, and were likely said in confidence.

I should be worried about him or just let it go and focus on work only and ask him to stop behaving like a teenager.

I would just let it go. As a co-worker, involving yourself in his personal life could create a myriad of problems. It's difficult having a negative person around every day but find ways to block his negativity.

Attempt changing the subject when possible. Next time he says "What's the point of life" or something, you can say

To go have dinner with my friends at Macs. Have you been there?

or something similar.

If you choose to engage, be careful

If you choose to engage him and try to help his depression, be sure you are ready for the possible fall-out of a very personal relationship at work that may involve an uncomfortable level of sharing between coworkers OR the possibility of animosity between you and him.

Answer 4

Well, I understand that depression is serious. But if he isn't like this when you guys are doing serious work, then I would accept that it's his quirk. As long as he is performing well that's what's important.

You could also try to:

1. Lighten the mood : when he says "What's the point of living" respond with "Well, it's so that we get to watch Detective Pikachu when it comes out!"
2. Change the topic : "why do people still breed if they themselves live in so much difficulty" maybe ask "Hey do you know when Detective Pikachu is coming out?"
3. Humor him : "Why are people so bad to each other." maybe say "Yeah.. it's sad isn't it? Why can't everyone just get along and watch Detective Pikachu once it hits the theatres?"
4. Listen to him for a while. Sometimes people just want someone to listen. Once he's let it all out, and he's fine, then offer to hang out with him ("Hey, do you want to watch Detective Pikachu with me when it comes out?")

Answer 5

How to deal with a coworker who maybe depressed

If you are bothered by his depression or if it makes your job tougher, you can act but be careful to not cross unwanted borders : a sensitive person is difficult to handle. Be gentle, try to understand why he acts like this : is it only a phase ? Did something hard happened to him recently ?

If you only want to deal with it for the sake of this person, well it depends on your current relation : you can joke with him when he says negative things to try to make them positive, and you can also try to understand why by simply asking him

Hey X, I don't know if you say negative things because your life is hard to you these times. If you wanna talk about it we can grab a coffee one day

But I'm not in this person head, so I can't say if he wants help/attention or if he prefers to be left alone. If you can and want investigate, do it carefully not to hurt his probably already fragile feelings