According to a 2021 report by the World Health Organization, “Depression is a leading cause of disability worldwide and is a major contributor to the overall global burden of disease.” The report goes on to say that 5 percent of adults in the United States suffer from depression.

And so it should come as no surprise that your organization almost certainly interacts with individuals who are dealing with the disorder, even if you don’t know it. Even if your organization specializes in assisting those who suffer from depression or other illnesses--there may be others you work with who likewise suffer from this debilitating disorder.

There might also be implications of depression for your organization that you may not have thought about. For example, if your organization depends on feedback to be efficient, taking depression into consideration may be important. This article outlines how depression might be affecting the feedback you must collect from clients in order to be productive, along with some ideas about how to mitigate the negative effects of depression on your feedback process.

1. Questions may give rise to unhelpful responses. For those who suffer from depression, being questioned may trigger anxiety or other negative reactions, especially when the person asking is someone in authority (or someone who is perceived that way). This interpersonal dynamic can skew the way a person with depression responds to a survey question or a debriefing conversation. Such feedback may be terse, vague, or defensive. It may seem like the respondent is either seeking approval or avoiding criticism.

2. Depression negatively impacts personal responsibility.  People with depression often struggle to fulfill responsibilities, even simple ones. Depression can render an otherwise conscientious person unable to tackle tasks they’ve agreed to complete. This is especially true for tasks not directly associated with basic daily needs. Those who may appear to be indifferent to a survey or irresponsible may instead be suffering from depression.

3. Depression negatively impacts communication skills.  Those with depression often isolate, spend long periods without personal interaction, and may be unable or unwilling to communicate effectively. Depression can affect a person’s ability to make themselves understood. This can of course affect the way someone with depression might respond (or not respond) to questions in a survey.

What can you do to mitigate these barriers to effective feedback collection?

1. Explain.  In an uncomplicated way, explain the reasons for your feedback process. This may seem like an obvious fix, but many organizations assume their clients know why their feedback is needed. Explain that the feedback your organization collects will be put to work to improve services, programs, and treatments. Make it clear that their feedback is confidential and is not collected to evaluate, correct, or judge the person who gives the feedback. Explain that the feedback is important, meaningful, and will help others.

2. Keep it simple. For those whose depression is taking up too much of their bandwidth to handle complex tasks, your feedback collection must be simple and quick. Collect only the data you need, and provide an easy way for your clients to provide it.

3. Follow-up.

If the feedback you receive is missing or unhelpful, and depression is the reason (or one of them), consider a tactful and thoughtful follow-up by someone experienced in communicating with depression patients. A personal consultation may enable someone with depression to better express themselves, make themselves understood, and provide the feedback so important to your organization.

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