“Workaholism” is real - Salon.com Tuesday, Oct 2, 2012 10:38 PM UTC “Workaholism” is real Many view it as a virtue, or even a joke, but a spate of recent studies suggest it should be taken seriously Topics: addiction , Alcoholics Anonymous , Alcoholism , France , Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development , The Fix , Work , Workaholism , Life News This article originally appeared on The Fix . You’re sitting at your desk, scrolling through the Alcoholics Anonymous website, when your boss walks up behind you. Not the best career move you’ll ever make, perhaps. But let’s say you’re looking at the Workaholics Anonymous site instead, the section about how even when you’re not in the office you’re still toiling away. What then? Does your boss give you a talking to, or does he give you a raise? This rather glib question captures something important about how society views work addiction.

Recently, a business strategy website published an article with the headline “Four Famous Workaholics (And The Secrets of Their Success).” It’s hard to imagine any other addiction eliciting this kind of approach: “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Junkies,” say, or “The Sipping Point.” The fact is, people see workaholism in a different light from other dependencies. It’s known as the “respectable addiction,” but this doesn’t quite capture the prevailing attitude toward the condition. Indeed, many balk at the idea that it is a condition. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders—which lists caffeine as a dependency—doesn’t even recognize work addiction. Workaholism is something Bill Gates has, and surely no one’s going to suggest that this guy needs to go to a support group. Support groups, nonetheless, exist. Founded in 1983, Workaholics Anonymous (or WA) currently has a little over a thousand members, and holds meetings around the world—Paris, Sydney, London, Reykjavík, Bangkok. Testimonials in its newsletter contain lines like “I was addicted to activity.

How to grapple with this baffling malady?” Well, there’s the requisite 12-step program, for one, and the equally familiar appeal to a higher power. But, again, WA must contend with the fact that many people don’t view the malady as baffling so much as they do either virtuous or slightly comical. “People don’t take this seriously—they either laugh at workaholics or dismiss them,” says psychotherapist and “Chained to the Desk” author Bryan Robinson, who is widely recognized as being one of the world’s leading experts on workaholism. “The work ethic is an ingrained idea in our society. What’s wrong with working hard? Hard work got us to the Moon!” He goes on to call this attitude “the glorification of an illness.” Things, however, may be about to change. This year, research institutes from around the world have released a slew of studies clarifying what work addiction is and how it affects the people who have it.

In April, Norwegian and British researchers developed what they call “The Bergen Work Addiction Scale,” a standardized list of criteria (“You spend much more time working than originally intended”) aimed at helping people identify if they have an actual addiction rather than a tendency to work too much. In March, meanwhile, Psychology Today cited recent research that outlines four basic types of work addict, namely (to paraphrase): The manic perfectionist, the stress junkie, the muddled multi-tasker, and the guy who never seems able to let a project go. An article in the same publication last year explored the narcissism and sundry neuroses that underlie the disease. Such categorizations may, on the surface, seem largely academic, but there is real-world aim here: namely to make people aware that they have an identifiable condition, and therefore make it more likely that they will seek help. And it is becoming increasingly clear that workaholics do indeed need help. Researchers in New Zealand have found that people who work at least 50 hours a week are up to three times more likely to face alcohol problems.

Earlier this month, the American Journal of Epidemiology reported on a global study showing that over-workers are between 40 and 80 percent more likely to suffer heart disease than others. The lead researcher of that study had previously found that middle-aged people working more than 55 hours a week tend to be disproportionately slow-witted, and to be more at risk for dementia. “We’re beginning to look at work addiction from a cellular level now,” says Robinson. “The workaholic operates on the fight-or-flight response, which leads to a drench of cortisol, norepinephrine, and adrenaline. It can lead to heart disease and heart attacks, diabetes, compromised immune systems, and gastro-intestinal problems. We know this, the studies are pouring out.” To some extent, we don’t need people in white coats to tell us this—we’ve all seen how people “unwind” after a long day at the office. We’re aware, too, that over-workers tend to consume too much coffee, to be susceptible to stress and depression, to have broken marriages, to exercise infrequently, to get less sleep and eat more bad food, etc.

More and more, there’s research to back up the conventional wisdom, but the end result is what it’s always been—ill health. The Japanese have a word for this: “Karoshi,” or death by work. Yet, according to figures from the International Labour Office, American workers put in more hours per year than their Japanese counterparts (1,792 hours compared to 1,771). A recent Expedia poll found that fewer than 40 percent of Americans use up their annual vacation time. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development reports that Americans are putting in 20 percent more hours than they were in 1970. Increasingly, 60-hour work weeks are becoming the norm. What this spate of new studies is telling us, though, is that work addiction is a global problem rather than an American one. This month, researchers in Spain predicted that the percentage of work addicts in that country’s work force would rise from the current 4.6 percent to 11.8 percent in 2015. And this fact—given Spain’s especially precarious economic position—may help us get to the root of the sudden interest in the issue.

If workaholism is the rise—and evidence suggests that it is—then we need to take a look at what role the global economic downturn has played in this. For sure, people are working longer hours to make additional income, and to make themselves indispensable enough that they skip the next round of redundancies, but can we make the leap from necessity and anxiety—or even obsession—to addiction? This is one area where the research is a little thin, possibly because the question is philosophical rather than clinical. It could be argued that an upturn in over-work leads to an increase in usage—inasmuch as workaholism is said to have a chemical dependency side to it. As for the big psychological factor—what WA describes as “deriving our identity and self-esteem from what we do”—the ever-growing spectre of personal financial ruin, and the humiliation this entails, would seem to play into this. Either way, to read the scientific papers making the rounds, and the hand-wringing media reportage they inspire, we are in the midst of an epidemic, surrounded on all sides by work junkies, harried, unhappy, smartphone-clutching individuals whose major arteries are just one company report away from exploding.

As always, though, there are dissenters. A study out of France last year proposed that workaholism “can be constructive, generating welcoming outcomes for individuals, organizations and societies.” A recent British study found that clock-watchers are more susceptible to anxiety and apathy than those who throw themselves into their work. A professor in the Netherlands, meanwhile, has coined the term “engaged workaholic.” If you love what you do, the Dutch professor argues, where’s the harm in doing too much of it? Which is something else you probably wouldn’t say about an alcoholic, drug addict or compulsive gambler. More the Fix From state schools to the Ivy League, drinking to get bombed has long been the most popular activity on the quad. Is the problem with our kids or our colleges? Susan Cheever September 25, 2012 I’m a former meth head who hustled to support his habit. My wife’s history is completely pristine. And that’s a good thing. After all, one person like me in a marriage is plenty Nic Sheff September 27, 2011 Addiction to drugs and booze are leading teenagers to the ER at a skyrocketing rate.

How can you help them before they get there—and how much blame lies with the parents? Jennifer Matesa August 15, 2012 The Truth About Workaholism | The Fix The Truth About Workaholism The Truth About Workaholism Will My Insurance Pay for Rehab? Sponsored ⓘLegal Stuff - This free insurance benefits check is a service performed by advertising sponsor Service Industries, Inc., part of a network of commonly owned rehabilitation service providers. By inputting your information, you consent to your information being transmitted to Service Industries, Inc., so that one of its representatives may contact you to discuss your insurance benefits and options for obtaining treatment. Seeking Help For * By Chris Wright 09/24/12 Many people view "workaholism" as a virtue, or even a joke. But a spate of recent studies suggests the condition should be taken much more seriously. Image: You're sitting at your desk, scrolling through the Alcoholics Anonymous website, when your boss walks up behind you. Not the best career move you'll ever make, perhaps.

But let's say you're looking at the Workaholics Anonymous site instead, the section about how even when you're not in the office you're still toiling away. What then? Does your boss give you a talking to, or does he give you a raise? This rather glib question captures something important about how society views work addiction. Recently, a business strategy website published an article with the headline "Four Famous Workaholics (And The Secrets of Their Success)." It's hard to imagine any other addiction eliciting this kind of approach: "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Junkies," say, or "The Sipping Point." The fact is, people see workaholism in a different light from other dependencies. It's known as the "respectable addiction," but this doesn't quite capture the prevailing attitude toward the condition. Indeed, many balk at the idea that it is a condition. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders—which lists caffeine as a dependency—doesn't even recognize work addiction. Workaholism is something Bill Gates has, and surely no one's going to suggest that this guy needs to go to a support group.

"The workaholic operates on the fight-or-flight response, which leads to a drench of cortisol, norepinephrine, and adrenaline. It can lead to heart disease and heart attacks, diabetes, compromised immune systems, and gastro-intestinal problems. We know this.” Support groups, nonetheless, exist. Founded in 1983, Workaholics Anonymous (or WA) currently has a little over a thousand members, and holds meetings around the world—Paris, Sydney, London, Reykjavík, Bangkok. Testimonials in its newsletter contain lines like "I was addicted to activity. How to grapple with this baffling malady?" Well, there's the requisite 12-step program, for one, and the equally familiar appeal to a higher power. But, again, WA must contend with the fact that many people don't view the malady as baffling so much as they do either virtuous or slightly comical. "People don’t take this seriously—they either laugh at workaholics or dismiss them," says psychotherapist and Chained to the Desk author Bryan Robinson, who is widely recognized as being one of the world’s leading experts on workaholism.

“The work ethic is an ingrained idea in our society. What’s wrong with working hard? Hard work got us to the Moon!” He goes on to call this attitude “the glorification of an illness.” Things, however, may be about to change. This year, research institutes from around the world have released a slew of studies clarifying what work addiction is and how it affects the people who have it. In April, Norwegian and British researchers developed what they call "The Bergen Work Addiction Scale," a standardized list of criteria ("You spend much more time working than originally intended") aimed at helping people identify if they have an actual addiction rather than a tendency to work too much. In March, meanwhile, Psychology Today cited recent research that outlines four basic types of work addict, namely (to paraphrase): The manic perfectionist, the stress junkie, the muddled multi-tasker, and the guy who never seems able to let a project go. An article in the same publication last year explored the narcissism and sundry neuroses that underlie the disease.

Such categorizations may, on the surface, seem largely academic, but there is real-world aim here: namely to make people aware that they have an identifiable condition, and therefore make it more likely that they will seek help. And it is becoming increasingly clear that workaholics do indeed need help. Researchers in New Zealand have found that people who work at least 50 hours a week are up to three times more likely to face alcohol problems. Earlier this month, the American Journal of Epidemiology reported on a global study showing that over-workers are between 40 and 80 percent more likely to suffer heart disease than others. The lead researcher of that study had previously found that middle-aged people working more than 55 hours a week tend to be disproportionately slow-witted, and to be more at risk for dementia. "We’re beginning to look at work addiction from a cellular level now," says Robinson. “The workaholic operates on the fight-or-flight response, which leads to a drench of cortisol, norepinephrine, and adrenaline. It can lead to heart disease and heart attacks, diabetes, compromised immune systems, and gastro-intestinal problems.

We know this, the studies are pouring out.” To some extent, we don't need people in white coats to tell us this—we've all seen how people "unwind" after a long day at the office. We're aware, too, that over-workers tend to consume too much coffee, to be susceptible to stress and depression, to have broken marriages, to exercise infrequently, to get less sleep and eat more bad food, etc. More and more, there's research to back up the conventional wisdom, but the end result is what it's always been—ill health. The Japanese have a word for this: "Karoshi," or death by work. Yet, according to figures from the International Labour Office, American workers put in more hours per year than their Japanese counterparts (1,792 hours compared to 1,771). A recent Expedia poll found that fewer than 40 percent of Americans use up their annual vacation time. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development reports that Americans are putting in 20 percent more hours than they were in 1970. Increasingly, 60-hour work weeks are becoming the norm.

What this spate of new studies is telling us, though, is that work addiction is a global problem rather than an American one. This month, researchers in Spain predicted that the percentage of work addicts in that country’s work force would rise from the current 4.6 percent to 11.8 percent in 2015. And this fact—given Spain's especially precarious economic position—may help us get to the root of the sudden interest in the issue. If workaholism is the rise—and evidence suggests that it is—then we need to take a look at what role the global economic downturn has played in this. For sure, people are working longer hours to make additional income, and to make themselves indispensable enough that they skip the next round of redundancies, but can we make the leap from necessity and anxiety—or even obsession—to addiction? This is one area where the research is a little thin, possibly because the question is philosophical rather than clinical. It could be argued that an upturn in over-work leads to an increase in usage—inasmuch as workaholism is said to have a chemical dependency side to it.

As for the big psychological factor—what WA describes as "deriving our identity and self-esteem from what we do"—the ever-growing spectre of personal financial ruin, and the humiliation this entails, would seem to play into this. Either way, to read the scientific papers making the rounds, and the hand-wringing media reportage they inspire, we are in the midst of an epidemic, surrounded on all sides by work junkies, harried, unhappy, smartphone-clutching individuals whose major arteries are just one company report away from exploding. As always, though, there are dissenters. A study out of France last year proposed that workaholism "can be constructive, generating welcoming outcomes for individuals, organizations and societies." A recent British study found that clock-watchers are more susceptible to anxiety and apathy than those who throw themselves into their work. A professor in the Netherlands, meanwhile, has coined the term "engaged workaholic." If you love what you do, the Dutch professor argues, where's the harm in doing too much of it? Which is something else you probably wouldn’t say about an alcoholic, drug addict or compulsive gambler.

Karoshi : definition of Karoshi and synonyms of Karoshi (English) This article needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (January 2010) Karōshi (過労死 ? ), which can be translated literally from Japanese as "death from overwork", is occupational sudden death . Although this category has a significant count, Japan is one of the few countries[ which? ] that reports it in the statistics as a separate category. The major medical causes of karōshi deaths are heart attack and stroke due to stress . The first case of karōshi was reported in 1969 with the death from a stroke of a 29-year-old male worker in the shipping department of Japan 's largest newspaper company. [1] It was not until the later part of the 1980s, during the Bubble Economy , however, when several high-ranking business executives who were still in their prime years suddenly died without any previous sign of illness , that the media began picking up on what appeared to be a new phenomenon.

This new phenomenon was quickly labeled karōshi and was immediately seen as a new and serious menace for people in the work force . In 1987, as public concern increased, the Japanese Ministry of Labour began to publish statistics on karōshi. Japan's rise from the devastation of World War II to economic prominence in the post- war decades has been regarded as the trigger for what has been called a new epidemic . It was recognized that employees cannot work for twelve or more hours a day, six or seven days a week , year after year, without suffering physically as well as mentally. A recent measurement found that a Japanese worker has approximately two hours overtime a day on average.[ citation needed ] It is common for the overtime to go unpaid. [2] [3] Contents 7 External links Effects on society Many will be prepared to work unpaid overtime to an extreme extent particularly as their young co-workers will often quit when a job is too strenuous. In some cases it has been proven that firms were aware of the poor health of an employee. Meanwhile, death-by-overwork lawsuits have been on the rise in Japan[ citation needed ], with the deceased person's relatives demanding compensation payments.

However, before compensation can be awarded, the labour inspection office must acknowledge that the death was work-related. As this may take many years in detailed and time-consuming judicial hearings, many do not demand payment. Government reaction Japanese courts have awarded damages to relatives in cases of work overload induced stress or depression ending with the suicide of the employee when the Labour Standards Inspection Office rejected the plea for compensation. [4] The linked article also mentions the practice of "voluntary" undocumented unpaid overtime (サービス残業, sābisu zangyō ? ) as leading to karōshi incidents. The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare published relevant statistics in 2007: 189 workers died, many from strokes or heart attacks, and about 208 more fell severely ill from overwork in the year to March, the highest figure on record and up 17.6% from the previous year. Another 921 workers contended they became mentally ill due to overwork, with 306 cases given compensation, according to the ministry data released on Wednesday.

Mentally troubled workers killed themselves or attempted to do so in 201 cases.[ citation needed ] The Japanese government is now beginning to recognize the extent of responsibility that companies bear in overworking employees. On 29 April 2008, a company was ordered to pay ¥200 million to a man overworked until he fell into a coma. [5] Legislation is currently in promulgation to prevent or at least reduce the cases and severity of karōshi. It is expected[ who? ] that such moves may also include limits on overtime work as well as the introduction of required medical examination before employers may clear employees to perform overtime work which exceeds a certain number of working hours. Corporate response A number of companies have been making an effort to find a better work-life balance for their employees. Toyota , for example, now generally limits overtime to 360 hours a year (an average of 30 hours monthly), and at some offices issues public address announcements every hour after 7 p.m. pointing out the importance of rest and urging workers to go home. Nissan offers telecommuting for office workers to make it easier to care for children or elderly parents.

[3] Dozens of large corporations have also implemented "no overtime days", which require employees to leave the office promptly at 5:30 p.m. However, since their workload is too high, few workers can actually take advantage of this, opting to stay in the office with the lights off or simply taking their work home (called furoshiki or "cloaked overtime"). In 2007, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking , a division of Japan's largest banking group, started to allow employees to go home up to three hours early to care for children or elderly relatives. As of January 5, 2009, just 34 of the company's 7,000 employees have signed up for the plan. [3] Media attention The French-German TV channel Arte showed a documentary called "Alt in Japan" (Old in Japan) on 6 November 2006 dealing with old age workers in Japan. In 2008, karōshi again made headlines: a death back in 2006 of a key Toyota engineer who averaged over 80 hours overtime each month was ruled as a result of overwork.

His family was awarded benefits after his case was reviewed. [6] A simple multi-platform arcade game called Karoshi (2008) developed by Jesse Venbrux and published by YoYo Games helped in creating an awareness for Karoshi in 2008. This game was a series of puzzle platformer games in which the goal is to die. The game still lives on in as a newer version Karoshi: Suicide Salaryman (2008) and is succeeded by Super Karoshi (2009). Some of these games have been ported to the Macintosh by Vetra Games , while an iOS version titled Mr. Karoshi has been published to some mobile platforms by YoYo Games. See also The Truth About Workaholism The Truth About Workaholism Posted on Sunday, October 14, 2012 9:34 AM "The Bergen Work Addiction Scale," means you spend much more time working than originally intended" Many of my patients say they feel so relaxed after acupuncture treatment, why?

Largely because most people are stressed out and work far too hard and too long, Workaholism is a huge contributor to stress, and stress often leads to disease, depleting our energy reserves (qi). Attitudes towards workaholism have changed and it is no longer considered a "respectable" addiction. The Truth About Workaholics By Chris Wright October 13, 2012 You're sitting at your desk, scrolling through the Alcoholics Anonymous website, when your boss walks up behind you. Not the best career move you'll ever make, perhaps. But let's say you're looking at the Workaholics Anonymous site instead, the section about how even when you're not in the office you're still toiling away. What then? Does your boss give you a talking to, or does he give you a raise? This rather glib question captures something important about how society views work addiction.

Recently, a business strategy website published an article with the headline "Four Famous Workaholics (And The Secrets of Their Success)." It's hard to imagine any other addiction eliciting this kind of approach: "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Junkies," say, or "The Sipping Point." The fact is, people see workaholism in a different light from other dependencies. It's known as the "respectable addiction," but this doesn't quite capture the prevailing attitude toward the condition. Indeed, many balk at the idea that it is a condition. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders—which lists caffeine as a dependency—doesn't even recognize work addiction. Workaholism is something Bill Gates has, and surely no one's going to suggest that this guy needs to go to a support group. Support groups, nonetheless, exist. Founded in 1983, Workaholics Anonymous (or WA) currently has a little over a thousand members, and holds meetings around the world—Paris, Sydney, London, Reykjavík, Bangkok. Testimonials in its newsletter contain lines like "I was addicted to activity.

How to grapple with this baffling malady?" Well, there's the requisite 12-step program, for one, and the equally familiar appeal to a higher power. But, again, WA must contend with the fact that many people don't view the malady as baffling so much as they do either virtuous or slightly comical. "People don’t take this seriously—they either laugh at workaholics or dismiss them," says psychotherapist and Chained to the Desk author Bryan Robinson, who is widely recognized as being one of the world’s leading experts on workaholism. “The work ethic is an ingrained idea in our society. What’s wrong with working hard? Hard work got us to the Moon!” He goes on to call this attitude “the glorification of an illness.” Things, however, may be about to change. This year, research institutes from around the world have released a slew of studies clarifying what work addiction is and how it affects the people who have it.

In April, Norwegian and British researchers developed what they call "The Bergen Work Addiction Scale," a standardized list of criteria ("You spend much more time working than originally intended") aimed at helping people identify if they have an actual addiction rather than a tendency to work too much. In March, meanwhile, Psychology Today cited recent research that outlines four basic types of work addict, namely (to paraphrase): The manic perfectionist, the stress junkie, the muddled multi-tasker, and the guy who never seems able to let a project go. An article in the same publication last year explored the narcissism and sundry neuroses that underlie the disease. Such categorizations may, on the surface, seem largely academic, but there is real-world aim here: namely to make people aware that they have an identifiable condition, and therefore make it more likely that they will seek help. And it is becoming increasingly clear that workaholics do indeed need help. Researchers in New Zealand have found that people who work at least 50 hours a week are up to three times more likely to face alcohol problems.

Earlier this month, the American Journal of Epidemiology reported on a global study showing that over-workers are between 40 and 80 percent more likely to suffer heart disease than others. The lead researcher of that study had previously found that middle-aged people working more than 55 hours a week tend to be disproportionately slow-witted, and to be more at risk for dementia. "We’re beginning to look at work addiction from a cellular level now," says Robinson. “The workaholic operates on the fight-or-flight response, which leads to a drench of cortisol, norepinephrine, and adrenaline. It can lead to heart disease and heart attacks, diabetes, compromised immune systems, and gastro-intestinal problems. We know this, the studies are pouring out.” To some extent, we don't need people in white coats to tell us this—we've all seen how people "unwind" after a long day at the office. We're aware, too, that over-workers tend to consume too much coffee, to be susceptible to stress and depression, to have broken marriages, to exercise infrequently, to get less sleep and eat more bad food, etc.

More and more, there's research to back up the conventional wisdom, but the end result is what it's always been—ill health. The Japanese have a word for this: "Karoshi," or death by work. Yet, according to figures from the International Labour Office, American workers put in more hours per year than their Japanese counterparts (1,792 hours compared to 1,771). A recent Expedia poll found that fewer than 40 percent of Americans use up their annual vacation time. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development reports that Americans are putting in 20 percent more hours than they were in 1970. Increasingly, 60-hour work weeks are becoming the norm. What this spate of new studies is telling us, though, is that work addiction is a global problem rather than an American one. This month, researchers in Spain predicted that the percentage of work addicts in that country’s work force would rise from the current 4.6 percent to 11.8 percent in 2015. And this fact—given Spain's especially precarious economic position—may help us get to the root of the sudden interest in the issue.

If workaholism is the rise—and evidence suggests that it is—then we need to take a look at what role the global economic downturn has played in this. For sure, people are working longer hours to make additional income, and to make themselves indispensable enough that they skip the next round of redundancies, but can we make the leap from necessity and anxiety—or even obsession—to addiction? This is one area where the research is a little thin, possibly because the question is philosophical rather than clinical. It could be argued that an upturn in over-work leads to an increase in usage—inasmuch as workaholism is said to have a chemical dependency side to it. As for the big psychological factor—what WA describes as "deriving our identity and self-esteem from what we do"—the ever-growing spectre of personal financial ruin, and the humiliation this entails, would seem to play into this. Either way, to read the scientific papers making the rounds, and the hand-wringing media reportage they inspire, we are in the midst of an epidemic, surrounded on all sides by work junkies, harried, unhappy, smartphone-clutching individuals whose major arteries are just one company report away from exploding.

As always, though, there are dissenters. A study out of France last year proposed that workaholism "can be constructive, generating welcoming outcomes for individuals, organizations and societies." A recent British study found that clock-watchers are more susceptible to anxiety and apathy than those who throw themselves into their work. A professor in the Netherlands, meanwhile, has coined the term "engaged workaholic." If you love what you do, the Dutch professor argues, where's the harm in doing too much of it? Which is something else you probably wouldn’t say about an alcoholic, drug addict or compulsive gambler. Sign Up For Free Newsletter Workaholism It's no longer seen as a respectable vice, but as a serious problem that can have life-threatening consequences By Loren Stein, M.A. After a lifetime of denial, one pivotal moment forced Dan G. to confront a painful truth: He was addicted to his work. Exploding in rage after some bad news delivered by his boss, he snapped, screaming at his secretary and punching the walls of his office with his bare fists. "I knew I was cracking up," he says now.

It was 1982, and Dan had been saddled with starting a new business venture for the large East Coast computer corporation that employed him. But his routine 16- to 20-hour workdays were not yielding the results he wanted, and Dan was pushing himself and his staff to the point of exhaustion. "I felt like I was under compressed steel all the time, pressing down on me," he recalls. "I was under tremendous pressure and really feeling it." Worse, he said, "I realized how addicted I was to work, but the fun was gone, the adrenaline high was gone." Stripped of the illusion that he was in control and functioning at a high level at his job, Dan was afraid. "I knew I had to change or die, that I would have a mental or physical breakdown," he says. "I knew I was at a turning point, that I couldn't go on. That was my bottom." Dan describes himself as a workaholic, a condition that some psychologists view as a serious affliction -- and unfortunately, one that's socially sanctioned. Many firms expect employees to exhibit more than just dedication to their jobs.

Corporate culture rewards single-minded workers with fat paychecks, awards, and promotions -- and the status that accompanies success. Yet despite these social and business pressures, workaholism is slowly losing its cachet as a respectable vice. Instead, it is increasingly recognized as an insidious problem that can have life-threatening consequences. "A workaholic will die faster than an alcoholic any day," says Diane Fassel, PhD, an organizational consultant in Boulder, Colorado, and author of Working Ourselves to Death. Elements of workaholism Despite numerous books and magazine articles on the issue, however, there's a simmering debate in the therapeutic community over workaholism. For starters, it's not a recognized psychiatric disorder, and many medical professionals still relegate it to the realm of pop psychology. The term "workaholism" was not coined until the late 1960s, and it has begun to be taken seriously only in the last 10 to 15 years, say experts. Indeed, the bible of the American Psychiatric Association -- the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) -- does not classify workaholism as an official diagnosis or an addiction.

Instead, it's considered a symptom of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, a broader obsession with orderliness, perfection, and control at the expense of flexibility, openness, and efficiency. "Workaholism is a coping strategy," says Jeffrey P. Kahn, MD, a Manhattan psychiatrist and a consultant for the American Psychiatric Association committee on psychiatry in the workplace. "It's often a symptom of a variety of emotional problems, including underlying anxiety disorders and depression, shaped by obsessive-compulsive personality traits. The core diagnosis is often chronic mild depression." Kahn, a psychiatric faculty member at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City, says that other professionals who think workaholism is an addiction or a diagnosis in and of itself are "missing the boat." But the reluctance of the medical mainstream to consider workaholism an addiction angers some experts, among them Bryan E. Robinson, PhD, a psychotherapist and professor of counseling, special education, and child development at the University of North Carolina. He notes that it took many years for the medical establishment to accept alcoholism as an addiction. The paucity of research on workaholism frustrates him as well.

"Workaholism is the best-dressed addiction in the country," says Robinson, author of Chained to the Desk: A Guidebook for Workaholics, Their Partners, Their Children, and the Clinicians Who Treat Them, and himself a recovering workaholic. "It's a good-looking addiction to havethat's the paradoxand what makes it so difficult to study and treat." The number of studies on workaholism is paltry in comparison to the slew of studies on alcoholism, eating disorders, or gambling, says Robinson. "We haven't even scratched the surface. Workaholism is extolled in this society. Why investigate something that is considered so good?" Whether therapists consider workaholism an illness, an addiction, or a symptom, however, they do agree on one thing: It's unhealthy. People suffering from workaholism, says Merra Greengrass, a spokesperson for the American Psychological Association, "should definitely seek treatment." What is workaholism? If you often find yourself staying late at the office and working weekends, you may have wondered whether you're a workaholic.

If that's what it takes to get the work done, how can you tell whether you've become "addicted" to your job? Here's a rule of thumb: Can you enjoy life and feel energetic and purposeful when you're not at work? If the answer is no, you may be in the danger zone. Since workaholics get high from the fix of deadlines, long hours, and single-minded focus on work, other parts of their lives tend to fall by the wayside. Experts say the incessant work-related activity masks anxiety, low self-esteem, and intimacy problems. And as with addictions to alcohol, drugs or gambling, workaholics' denial and destructive behavior will persist despite feedback from loved ones or danger signs such as deteriorating relationships. Poor health is another warning sign. Because there's less of a social stigma attached to workaholism than to other addictions, health symptoms can easily go undiagnosed or unrecognized, say researchers. Manic overwork creates huge surges of adrenaline, which floods the body and taxes every physical function, especially that of the heart, according to Robinson and other researchers.

The adrenaline can contribute to high blood pressure and to the buildup of plaque in heart vessels, increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Workaholics can also suffer from a host of stress disorders, including anxiety attacks, ulcers, and burnout, as well as depression that can lead to suicide, Robinson says. Workaholics, in fact, can become physically dependent on the adrenaline coursing through their bodies -- sometimes with dire effects. "The role of adrenaline is to give the illusion that you have an unusual amount of strength, resilience and energy," says Fassel, who also co-authored The Addictive Organization. "You're not aware that you're really tired or worn down or have physical symptoms. Workaholics are usually taken out by a heart attack or stroke, or collapse with a really catastrophic illness." (Overwork can cause many of the same health problems; however, it's not the same as workaholism.

Most people forced to work two jobs to make ends meet are not in the grip of a compulsion, because they would gladly work less if they could.) Overwork, which is rampant in Japan, is responsible for an estimated 10,000 deaths of working men in the country each year, according to Japanese occupational health researchers. The Japanese even have a word for death from overwork: karoshi. In the United States, there is no reliable method to track the number of workaholics, despite the prevalence of stress-related illnesses at the workplace. Work addicts are not the same as hard workers Yet work addicts should not be confused with people who are simply hard workers, say experts. There is nothing wrong with loving your work, going the extra mile to meet a deadline or finish a project, and feeling satisfied with your achievements. Workaholics' lives, in contrast, are out of control. They think about work constantly and if unable to work, feel panicky or depressed. They resist taking breaks or rewarding themselves with vacations. If they must take vacations, they're likely to be highly scheduled and goal-oriented. "A workaholic needs to work," says Kahn, who is also president of WorkPsych Asssociates Inc.

in New York City. "He needs goals to aim for. He pushes and pushes, and as he's approaching his goal, he needs the next goal. A workaholic is not able to stop and enjoy his accomplishments." Ironically, being a workaholic can be detrimental to work itself. Workaholics resist collaboration, have trouble delegating tasks, and like to run the show themselves. They're often difficult to get along with and push others as relentlessly as they push themselves. While people addicted to work see themselves as under-functioning, everyone else sees them as over-functioning, according to Robinson. "If a workaholic won the lottery, he would not stop -- he's not doing it for the money," says Fassel. "Instead, enormous anxiety and unresolved psychological issues are kept at bay by the work addict's incessant activity. The underlying belief is that if I were not always active, I would have no right to exist. Like alcoholism, it's a disease of the soul, a spiritual disease." According to Barbara Killinger, a Toronto clinical psychologist and author of Workaholics: The Respectable Addicts, the workaholic's perfectionism leads to obsession and ultimately to narcissism.

"Workaholics are addicted to power and control, but the focus of the obsession is work," she says. "The more chaos you have inside, the more you need to control everything around you. The obsession eventually runs you, you don't run it." Killinger, an early pioneer in the field, breaks down work addicts into three main groups: "controllers," "pleasers," and "narcissistic controllers." The third group is especially dangerous, she says. Cut off from their feelings, narcissistic controllers have no empathy for others or insight into how their actions are affecting them. Moreover, the longer they are in charge, the more tyrannical and harmful their behavior becomes. Workaholics' families, of course, are at particular risk for fallout from the addiction. A leading researcher on workaholism, Robinson has focused two recent research efforts on the effects of work addiction on the family. In a study published in the Family Journal, Robinson found that children of workaholics are more depressed and exhibit more symptoms of "parentification" -- behaving like responsible adults in place of their absent parent -- than children of alcoholics.

The first national survey of women married to workaholics, published in the American Journal of Family Therapy, revealed that these women experienced greater marital estrangement, had higher divorce rates, and felt less in charge of their marriages and lives. As they enter the workforce in ever greater numbers, some women are also suffering from workaholism. In dual-income homes, many women find themselves in the unenviable position of working hard at their jobs while also shouldering much of the burden of family and child-raising. According to a paper in Sex Roles: A Journal of Research, both men and women responding to a survey had similar levels of workaholism in several key areas -- perfectionism, job involvement, and inability to delegate tasks -- but women reported higher levels of job stress, perhaps due to conflicts between family and work. Ted Smith,* a retired San Francisco Bay Area physician, says his family suffered from his many years of unrestrained workaholic behavior, including 70- to 80-hour workweeks and work on weekends. His wife suspected he was having an affair; his young children lost a father to his obsession with his practice.

"Looking back, I wasn't able to remember any memories of my children in those 'raising' days, the older baby days to pre-teen years," he says now. "I can't remember any interaction with my kids. All three have told me that at some point they wanted to leave home. I was so busy completing the process of each day, I didn't realize I wasn't present for my family." Smith, now 73, believes the roots of his workaholism stretch back to his childhood, a scenario that experts agree is common. If he went to his mother with a problem, he says, she would tell him he'd feel better if he found something to do. If something was worth doing, she'd say, it was worth doing well. Smith learned to fear making mistakes; he became a perfectionist, even if it meant habitually doing his medical dictation at 3 a.m. or drifting off to sleep while talking with his patients. "I didn't know I had a problem; I didn't realize I was screwing up my life," he says.

The main task in treating workaholics, Killinger says, is the same as in other addictions: helping them reconnect with their feelings, which can be a slow and difficult process. But recovery is possible. After his meltdown, Dan G. told his boss he needed to quit his all-consuming assignment and take on a more moderately demanding job. The following year he also founded the first chapter of Workaholics Anonymous. "It takes courage to admit you're scared and what you're doing is neurotic," he says. When he took a close look at 20 years of workaholic behavior, what Dan G. saw was a life desperately out of balance. "I had to be number one at everything I did; I went to extremes in terms of competitiveness and having to work harder and faster than the next guy," he explains. "Inwardly, I was an egomaniac with an inferiority complex. I was overcompensating for feelings of fear and inferiority I've had since childhood, especially a fear of failure. On the surface, I projected an image of confidence, but deep down I felt like a scared kid who was always looking for that pat on the back.

The moral of my story is workaholics don't do better than anyone else. They just burn out faster." * Ted Smith is a pseudonym. As a member of Workaholics Anonymous, Dan G. prefers not to use his last name. References Clark, M.A., Lelchook, A.M., and Taylor, M.L. Beyond the Big Five: How narcissism, perfectionism, and dispositional affect relate to workaholism. Personality and Individual Differences, 48, 786-791. 2010. Burke, Ronald J. Workaholism in Organizations: Gender Differences. Sex Roles: A Journal of Research, September KaroshiDeath from overwork: Occupational health consequences of the Japanese production management, Katsuo Nishiyama and Jeffrey V. Johnson, Department of Preventive Medicine, Shiga University of Medical Science, Japan, and School of Hygiene and Public Health, Johns Hopkins University. Sixth draft for International Journal of Health Services. Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder Symptoms. MentalHealth Net. Criteria summarized from the Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, fourth edition, American Psychiatric Association, Washington, D.C.

Last Updated: August 17, 2013: The Japanese have a word for it! | Josephmallozzi's Weblog August 17, 2013: The Japanese have a word for it! August 17, 2013 by Joseph Mallozzi It never fails. We’ll be out walking the dogs or preparing dinner or working out when Akemi will turn to me and ask: “What’s the English world for…”. And then proceed to lay out the most ridiculously detailed scenario like “What’s the English for when you’re trying to lose weight and keep at it for a while but, eventually, you give up and have, say, a piece of cake ?” or “What’s the English world for when you’re not hungry but you have something to eat because your mouth feels lonely?”. I’ll inform her there is no English equivalent, word or phrase, that perfectly encapsulates such a comprehensive definition and she is, as always, surprised and disappointed. Because, you see, the Japanese seem to have a word FOR EVERYTHING! For example… Age-otori: The state of looking far worse following a haircut.

Arigata-meiwaku: When somebody does you a favor you didn’t want them to do but they went ahead and did it anyway and, as a result, caused you a huge inconvenience but social convention requires you to thank them anyway. Aware: The bittersweetness of fading moment. Bakku-shan: A woman that looks far better from behind than from the front. Boketto: The act of staring blankly out into space, devoid of any thoughts. Happou bijin: The act of being ungenuinely nice to everyone out of fear of being disliked. Karoshi: Death from overwork. Kenjataimu: Period directly after the sexual act when a man is free of desire and can think clearly. Kintsugi: The act of repairing broken pottery with gold. Koi no yokan: The feeling, upon first meeting someone, that you will eventually fall in love. Kuchi zamishi: When you’re not hungry but you eat because your mouth is “lonely”. Kyoikumama: A mother who relentlessly pushes her child to study. Shrinrin-yoku: “Forest bathing” – visiting a forest for some R&R.

Tsujigiri: The act of trying out a new sword on some random stranger. Tsundoku: The act of buying a book and never getting around to reading it. Wabi-sabi: A world view that accepts the transcendent and imperfect nature of life. Yoko meshi: The stress experienced speaking a foreign language. Familiar with any words in other languages that lack an English equivalent. List away! Share this: Posted in Japanese | Tagged Japanese , Japanese words | 28 Comments 28 Responses on August 17, 2013 at 7:40 pm baterista9 I’m sure I know a few in Spanish, Tex-Mex, US Southern, or German. Will have to sleep on it. Meanwhile, our friend Ronny Cox gives a great example in tracks 15/16 of his LIVE CD: When people interrupt you at meal time. Desenrascanco (Portuguese) To pull a MacGyver. This is the art of slapping together a solution to a problem at the last minute, with no advanced planning, and no resources.

(according to the article i got this from they teach this in their universities & to their military) Gumusservi (Turkish) Johanna Sanders It’s like Hawaiian- Aloha: Welcome to my island, the gift shop is to your left, the beach to the right and you are about to get lei’d. sylvia For this: “What’s the English world for…”. And then proceed to lay out the most ridiculously detailed scenario like “What’s the English for when you’re trying to lose weight and keep at it for a while but, eventually, you give up and have, say, a piece of cake ? Either you yourself or someone who knows you want/need to diet becomes: “Diet Buster.” This applies to either yourself or the outside influence that cause you to do the cake. Kuchi zamishi: When you’re not hungry but you eat because your mouth is “lonely”. LOL….this one could also apply to the diet busting. I think, in English we would describe her as a “Butter Face”… As in, everything looks good… but her face.

on August 17, 2013 at 10:05 pm shinyhula Being peckish, grazing or noshing comes close to describing eating when you’re not hungry, I knew way more words for that when I worked in an office with 100 plus girls, we had phrases to describe every type of food emergency that wrecked our diets. Giving up on dieting to have cake could be called falling off the wagon. All addiction terms work with dieting; gateway foods, people who force food on you when you’re dieting are pushers, we jones for our fave foods and anything delicious we describe as “like crack.” I love Aware; ironic that you have to be aware to experience aware. on August 18, 2013 at 6:03 am Jacqueline I’m not sure if we have any words here in Ireland that lack an English equivalent, but we do have our own unique way of saying things. For example: ‘Banjaxed’ means ‘Broken’, ‘Grand’ means ‘Everything will be fine’, ‘Giz a shot’ means ‘Let me have a look at it, please.’ It doesn’t mean to drink shots.

‘Lashed’ means ‘To get very drunk’, ‘Suckin’ diesel’ means ‘To have a great time’, while ‘Sweets’ are ‘Candy’, and ‘spuds’ are ‘potatoes’. Quite a few of the words we use in everyday conversation in Ireland are also used in America and Canada all the time, but mean VASTLY different things, which can lead to some embarrassing, and potentially, uncomfortable situations. For example, a ‘chippy’ in Ireland, is a fish and chip shop. After receiving looks of horror from the family I was staying with when I visited America a few years ago, I realized that is NOT what a ‘chippy’ is across the water. There were a few other instances of where etymology has gotten me into bother on holiday/vacation! Like, ‘Craic’ (pronounced ‘crack’) means ‘to have a good time’ and has nothing to do with drugs. I wouldn’t really recommend saying this one outside of Ireland too much though.. it doesn’t end well when people don’t understand the comment is innocent. We also tend to greet people we know well with insults – and the greater the friend, the greater the insult!

Maggiemayday I know some Burning Man specific phrases, the main one is playadipity … when the playa provides an amazing, appropriate and completely impossible event by random coincidence, often fulfilling a want or need. Includes finding long lost relatives or far flung friends in the unlikeliest of situations. You’re on the deep playa, checking out the art installations and the dust kicks up. You duck into the shelter of a giant dancer whose hands spout flames (or any number of wild things you may imagine). Someone hands you a cold beer, and it turns out they’re the kid you met fifteen years ago hiking in the outback. That sort of thing. on August 18, 2013 at 6:35 am thornyrose01 @Ganymede. Delicious! Though I would like to know the word for trying out a new sword on people you know and probably deserve to be a test dummy, as in your excellent example. on August 18, 2013 at 6:43 am Tam Dixon The South does have language shortcuts and I’ve noticed Memphians use some words in ways I wasn’t familiar with.

For example, a few Memphis DJ’s started saying “I’ll be dialoging with you” or “We can dialogue about this further.” Of course, there is y’all for “you all” but that’s pretty common. Then I’ve noticed words like “Baby Momma or Baby Daddy” creep into the English language in the last few years. Other than those kinds of words, I got nothing. Narelle has a tons of different words. It seems Australia is creating its own version of the English language. You out there Relle? Thank God for Twitter, so we can touch base occasionally. It must be exhausting trying to come up with English equivalents though. I had no idea the Japanese language was so expressive. Thanks for sharing your list! Articgoddess: A belated Happy Birthday to you! I kept meaning to post this yesterday but my ADD got the better of me. LJ: Yay and Thank you!

on August 18, 2013 at 9:35 am Mike from Canada Is there a Japanese word for a person who thinks they know everything, Thinks they are always the smartest person in the room but has no idea they keep saying things that are so stupid it almost hurts to hear them and he never, ever, ever admits he’s wrong? Sounds like my brother, but he is reasonably smart and I once heard him admit he was wrong. Once. Deni @Maggiemayday: “Playa” as in beach or is it pronounced differently? The one that always gets Mr. Deni is “no tengo pelos en la lengua”, which translates into “I don’t have hairs on my tongue”. It translates into “I’m not afraid to say what’s on my mind.” 🙂 on August 18, 2013 at 3:00 pm for the love of Beckett Do the Japanese have a word for always hungry for ice cream? I could eat it pretty much every day. 😀 Boketto: The act of staring blankly out into space, devoid of any thoughts.

I should just go and change my name to Boketto… Tsundoku: The act of buying a book and never getting around to reading it. …or Tsundoku. 😛 Nice to know there are words out there to describe some of my worst habits. 🙂 das archersangel to Tam Dixon For example, a few Memphis DJ’s started saying “I’ll be dialoging with you” or “We can dialogue about this further.” i think they used that in the movie/tv industry for awhile. they always seem to be using some new slang to sound “hip” or “edgy.” actually i think “edgy” was the latest buzzword in hollywood for a few years there. i read somewhere that a script for a fraggle rock movie was rejected because it wasn’t edgy enough. 🙄 i think we could spend days just on industry (medical, law, etc.) and local jargon & slang alone. on August 18, 2013 at 6:27 pm Angelus They say there’s no English word for the German word “schadenfreude”. (Or in Dutch leedvermaak) In more than one word it basically means the joy of seeing others suffer.

I guess you could call it “sadism” but even that is not the direct translation for it. on August 19, 2013 at 5:40 am Susan Bowden @ for the love of Beckett: I’d be on the toilet EVERY DAY if I ate ice-cream! I wish I was kidding! I’m sure there’s a Japanese word to describe certain dairy intolerances 🙂 “Boketto: The act of staring blankly out into space, devoid of any thoughts.” This is a GOOD word! You can’t beat a good day dream session! On a personal note: HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my wonderful Son who celebrates the big 20 today! Yikes! I don’t want to think about next year! I am proud of ALL his achievements ! Sweetheart, you did brilliantly in your first year at University – I know you’ll publish your first book in the next few years! I hope you will all forgive me for publicly documenting a proud Mum moment! 🙂 on August 19, 2013 at 11:02 am Mike A.

Ah yes, sayings and idioms are just as much culturally unique as they are fun to learn what they are and how they came to be. I’m Armenian and there are plenty of one or two-word sayings that translate into more of a complete sentence or thought that I could share…..but that could take a while, so here’s just one: Saadgeleek shoon: A dog not worthy enough to be put down. As for those Japanese ones you listed, I’d think being a wordsmith, you’d know that we DO have some of those one-worders in English. Here’s my stab at some of them: Arigata-meiwaku: Thanks for nothing. Bakku-shan: Butterface. (Have to agree with BoltBait) Boketto: Zoning, or “to zone out”. Happou bijin: A Politician. Seriously though, a “fake” fits best, but the added fear of being disliked complicates it. Karoshi: I don’t have one for this one. I was just surprised that I actually already knew this word. Kenjataimu: Sleep. 😉 Kuchi zamishi: Gnash(as in “I’m just looking for a…”).

Kyoikumama: Overbearing? Tsujigiri: Going postal? Wabi-sabi: Que Sera Sera. What’d be interesting is if you asked Akemi about sarcasm in Japanese culture. So many of these might be spoken with certain inflections that make all the difference in the world as to their tone and real meaning. I’d be curious if the Japanese are known for their sarcasm, the way Americans can be. -Mike A. on August 19, 2013 at 7:00 pm StygianInq @Angelus, English has an equivalent, it is just very rarely used today. The English equivalent of ‘schadenfreude’ is ‘epicaricacy’: “Rejoicing at or derivation of pleasure from the misfortunes of others”.

Roger Hågensen Karsk = “Karsk is a scandinavian cocktail containing coffee together with moonshine or vodka, and sometimes a spoon of sugar (enthusiasts often consider moonshine exclusively to be appropriate as an added component, as it has no inherent taste like other alcohols)…..according to the Norwegian Minister of Culture Trond Giske “Everyone who has grown up in Trøndelag, has had Karsk at some point” *raises hand* I grew up/live in Trøndelag and can attest to this. Drar til Syden = Traveling to the South (Drar / Going, til / to, Syden / the South. Syd = South, “Syd”+”en” = the South, odd I know). A unintentionally silly phrase as pretty much everything (except from Svalbard and The North Pole). If I where to travel straight West I might bump into Iceland on the way to the shores of Canada. Hyttekos = Having a good time at the cabin.

Rough transmutation to English would be “Cabincozy” Solveggen = The sunny side/wall of a house or building (or a cabin), usually involving sitting with your back against said wall and your face towards the sun. Rough transmutation to English would be “Sunnywall” Matpakke alternatively Matpakka, which would roughly translate to a Bento and the Bento to borrow a Japanese word to explain it. Uffda = A very generic word, a mix between acknowledgement or slight surprise or sympathy, someplace between shitty and not so shitty, used for situations where one also could respond by saying “And he actually fell on his face?” “So it’s still stuck in there?” “You owe the IRS money after taxes?” “*burp* I don’t think that’s digesting so well. Utepils = Roughly transmutated to English this could be “Outsidebeer” or “Outdoorlager” or “Openairdraft” etc. Basically it means having a beer or pilsner outside on a nice day. Usually during the summer months. Matmor and Matfar = Roughly transmutated to English these are “Foodmother” and “Foodfather”.

If you are a petowner/have pets, and you are not androgynous then you are one of these, Matmor being female and Matfar being male obviously. Meaning that Mr. Malozzi is the Matfar for his Puglings. PBMom The only cool thing I can contribute to this blog is that I know how to swear in sign language. It’s fun doing and no one knows what you are saying. I would do this in Patrick’s school district meetings.

Question: What does the Japanese word 'karoshi' translate to, which workaholics must be aware of?
Answer: Death from overwork