Could you be suffering from NEDS? New Economy Depression Syndrome a real ailment, researchers saying

It’s 4 p.m. on Friday.

You’re conversing with four people on instant messenger, one on your cell phone, your pager is lighting up and you only have 937 e-mails left to respond to before the weekend — six of which are from the cubicle next to you.

Then you put your forehead through your keyboard.

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Sound familiar?

You might be suffering from a nasty case of NEDS.

New Economy Depression Syndrome is the term coined by Yahoo! Chief Solutions Officer Tim Sanders to describe a self-reinforcing depression brought on by information overload and frequent interruption, which leads to an erosion of close personal relationships.

Sanders, author of the book “Love is the Killer App: How to Win Business and Influence Friends,” and HeartMath LLC, a California-based performance company, have released findings of a study that link workplace depression with people’s increasing use of technology.

Symptoms include anxiety, exhaustion, burnout, indecision, irritability, sadness and trouble sleeping. The health effects can range from heart disease to reduced immune system performance, all of which add up to businesses losing productivity, Sanders said.

“If you have close personal relationships, you have resiliency,” Sanders said, describing how to prevent NEDS.

Sanders, while working at the core of the new economy, knew there was a connection between workplace depression and the inhumanity of tech use. His book, published in February 2002, detailed his own method of survival during such a time of technical efficiency.

“There were two pages in the book that drew a firestorm of response,” Sanders said.

Those two pages spoke of his own distaste for the constant interruption and loss of personal contact with colleagues because of the use of devices such as Blackberries, instant messaging and e-mail.

He decided to use the advance from his book, more than $40,000, to join with HeartMath and fund a study confirming his beliefs. Terrence Real, an expert on the subject of depression, also was brought on board to help shape the study.

HeartMath, which trains and consults people on performing at peak levels and increasing energy levels while reducing stress, was brought on board for their expertise in stress management.

“Tim needed a qualified, bona fide research organization, someone competent to interpret results and create a test properly,´ said John White, principal and senior consultant for HeartMath who worked closely with the NEDS project. “We had a good background in a similar field.”

“I’m like the executive producer,” Sanders said. “I had a vision and wrote some checks.” Real and HeartMath brought their expertise to really help shape the study, he said.

What the group discovered, by combining data from their study with research done by Metafacts and Japanese research by Chiba University, is that more than 8 million Americans qualify as NEDS victims.

This was not surprising to Sanders.

The study found that there is a significant relationship between symptoms of depression and the number of hours using the Internet. The more hours spent on the Internet, the higher the symptoms of depression seemed to be.

“Psychotherapists have been treating people with these symptoms for years,” White said. “More what Tim did than anything else is he gave a name to something that was there before but was nebulous.”

Work-life balance

Sanders added that bringing awareness to the issue is his main goal since many ailments can be lumped under workplace depression.

“There is a segment of it that is driven by this idea of technology and information overload,” he said. Other types of workplace depression can by brought on by poor ergonomics in the work environment, repetitive task nature or other things.

“We need to be able to segment workplace depression in order to treat it properly,” Sanders said. He said information overload has long been a problem but adds, “Interruption seems to be what is unique about NEDS.”

Sanders said spreading awareness is key to curbing NEDS.

“We continue to get more media exposure to get this a life of its own,” he said. “When you become aware of this, you begin to reduce it.”

Sanders said that beating NEDS does not mean withdrawing from technology, but rather finding a balance for it. People must increase close personal relationships at work and at home and cut back on the use of technology a little. He said some companies have instituted e-mail free days or times to help cut back on employee stress.

“There is a common set of reasons people survive it, and they all have to do with relationship quality,” Sanders said.

He also believes NEDS is a problem companies need to actively address.

“(Victims) should treat it like any other workplace injury,” he said. People should tell their immediate supervisor how they are feeling and make their way to the human resources department. When enough incidences are reported, Sanders said, businesses will start to take notice of NEDS.

“This will be the reason people sue companies in 10 years,” he said.

Take the NEDS Inventory www.goyneds.com

Circle one answer for each question.

1. How many hours a week are you

looking at a computer screen?

5– 40+ 4– 30 to 40 3– 20 to 29

2– 10 to 19 1–less than 10

2. How many hours a week are you online (Web or receiving on e-mail)?

5– 40+ 4– 30 to 40 3– 20 to 29

2– 10 to 19 1– less than 10

3. How often do you feel information overload? (Explain)

5– most of the time 4– daily 3– once a week 2– sometimes 1– rarely

4. How many people do you feel like you can turn to with your problems?

5– none 4– one 3– two

2– three to five 1– five or more

5. How much weekly face time do you have with friends/family?

5– less than 4 hours

4– 4 to 8 hours 3– 8 to 12 hours

2– 12 to 20 hours 1–20+ hours

6. Rate how connected you feel with friends/family versus last year.

5– much less connected

4– less connected 3– same

2– more connected

1– much more connected

7. How often do you feel sad or blue, or feel a loss of interest or pleasure?

5– most of the time 4– daily 3– once a week 2– sometimes 1– rarely

8. How often do you feel fatigued or experience sleep disturbances (sleep too much or too little)?

5– most of the time 4– daily 3– once a week 2– sometimes 1– rarely

9. How often do you have difficulty

making decisions, concentrating, or remembering things?

5– most of the time 4– daily 3– once a week 2– sometimes 1–rarely

10. How often do you feel warmhearted or compassionate at your job?

5– rarely 4– sometimes 3– once a week 2– daily 1– most of the time

How to score self survey:

Add up your answers (for example, answering “5” equals 5 points)

Low Risk:

If your score is 10-25: Your balance of tech use, relationships and self-care is healthy.

Moderate Risk:

If your score is 25-39: You are unbalanced–be more moderate with your tech use.

High Risk:

If your score is 40 or more: You are highly vulnerable to NEDS. If symptoms persist despite efforts to bring your life into balance, consider seeking professional help.