Workaholism linked to psychiatric disorders
Workaholism frequently co-occurs with Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety, and depression.
Workaholics score higher on all clinical states
The study showed that workaholics scored higher on all the psychiatric symptoms than non-workaholics. Among workaholics, the main findings were that:
32.7 per cent met ADHD criteria (12.7 per cent among non-workaholics).
25.6 per cent OCD criteria (8.7 per cent among non-workaholics).
33.8 per cent met anxiety criteria (11.9 per cent among non-workaholics).
8.9 per cent met depression criteria (2.6 per cent among non-workaholics).
Seven diagnostic criteria for workaholism
You think of how you can free up more time to work.
You spend much more time working than initially intended.
You work in order to reduce feelings of guilt, anxiety, helplessness or depression.
You have been told by others to cut down on work without listening to them.
You become stressed if you are prohibited from working.
You deprioritize hobbies, leisure activities, and/or exercise because of your work.
You work so much that it has negatively influenced your health.
Scoring 1 (never) 4 (often) or 5 (always) - four or more criteria identify a workaholic.
These findings highlight the importance of further investigating neurobiological deviations related to workaholic behaviour.
Ref: Cecilie Schou Andreassen et al, The Relationships between Workaholism and Symptoms of Psychiatric Disorders: A Large-Scale Cross-Sectional Study. PLOS ONE, 2016; 11 (5): e0152978.
