The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : IT sector employees working under too much of stress

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

IT sector employees working under too much of stress

Special Correspondent

Many are in need of medication

Bangalore: Heavy workloads, prolonged working days, pressure to complete projects before deadline, unhealthy food and irregular eating habits, having to travel at short notice and being away from the family for fairly long periods — all these have become part of the occupational hazards for many in the information technology sector.

"An individual's reaction to such work-related stress and its physical and emotional fallout differs. But stress levels are on the whole increasing,'' says psychotherapist Sunanda Murthy.

A fairly large section of professionals are prescribed medicines, including anti- depressants and those to reduce anxiety levels, she says. For some, such medication is needed before almost every business presentation. While the usual `yoga and meditation' routine may work for some stressed- out persons, others need long period of counselling, along with medication. Some managements have realised the need to watch out for symptoms such as frequent irritability, lack of concentration, absenteeism and lack of motivation, and refer such employees discreetly to a therapist. The stigma about so-called "mental illness" is fast disappearing and a person on anti- depressants, for instance, is treated no different than a colleague on diabetic treatment, many physicians in the city say. "There are emotional problems that young professionals in the city face. This goes beyond work-related stress or long working hours, but too little has yet been done to address them,'' Dr. Murthy says.

With young people of both genders, thrown together for long hours and being away from their families, romantic attachments develop.

"This causes a lot of unnecessary trauma, especially to young women," she says.

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