精英人员更应警惕患上抑郁症

 Every suicide is intensely sad — a despairing act of self-harm that leaves a legacy¹ of guilt² and sorrow for the victim’s family, friends and colleagues. That of Martin Senn, chief executive of Zurich Insurance until last December, is doubly resonant³ because it follows the suicide of Pierre Wauthier, Zurich’s chief financial officer, three years ago.

每起自杀事件都令人感到极度悲痛，这种绝望的自裁给逝者的家人、朋友及同事留下无尽的内疚和伤痛。沈文天(Martin Senn)——去年12月之前一直担任苏黎世保险(Zurich Insurance)首席执行官——的自杀带来的伤痛更令人刻骨铭心，因为三年前，该公司首席财务官皮埃尔?沃蒂耶(Pierre Wauthier)也用自杀的方式结束了自己的生命。

Senn, who killed himself at his Klosters holiday home last Friday, is said to have struggled to adjust to being no longer the boss of a Swiss multinational⁴. He agreed to step down after Zurich failed to acquire the UK insurer RSA last year, and faced problems in the US and China. The company is now restructuring and cutting costs.

5月末，沈文天在自己位于瑞士克洛斯特斯(Klosters)的度假屋自杀，据称他一直难以适应卸任这家瑞士跨国公司掌门人后的生活。去年，在苏黎世保险收购英国保险公司RSA未果、并在美国和中国遇到问题之后，沈文天同意辞去首席执行官之职。目前，该公司正在进行重组及削减成本。

My reaction to his death is influenced by having suffered an episode of depression a decade ago. “Suffered” is the correct word, as anyone who has been through the experience can testify. “Episode” is the term employed by psychiatrists⁵, as if it forms part of a rather painful soap opera. Luckily, my pilot episode did not turn into a series.

十年前，我曾忍受过一段抑郁症的折磨，这段经历影响了我对沈文天自杀的反应。用“忍受折磨”一词形容很恰当，任何有过此种经历的人都可以证实这一点。“一段”(episode，也指连续剧的“一集”——译者注)是精神科医生使用的术语，好像这是一部悲惨肥皂剧的组成部分。幸运的是，我的抑郁症没有复发。

It made me alert to the malaise, though. When I hear of senior executives resigning or taking a break from their work because they are experiencing “sleeplessness”, “burnout”, “exhaustion”, or some other corporate⁷ euphemism⁸ for anxiety and depression, I recall what it taught me.

不过，那段经历让我对这种疾病有了警惕性。当听说有高管因“失眠”、“疲惫”、“精疲力竭”（或是企业对焦虑、抑郁的一些其他委婉说法）而辞职或者休假时，我总会回想起那段经历给我带来的教训。

One lesson is the common nature of mood disorder⁹ in the boardroom. It is tempting¹⁰ to view the Zurich Insurance suicides as a unique and alien tragedy, akin⁶ to the “virgin suicides” in the 1993 novel by Jeffrey Eugenides — the story of five sisters who kill themselves, narrated¹¹ by a chorus of admirers.

教训之一是，情绪障碍(mood disorder)在董事会成员中非常普遍。人们很容易将苏黎世保险两名高管先后自杀视为一场罕见、陌生的悲剧，类似于杰佛瑞?尤金尼德斯(Jeffrey Eugenides)1993年小说中的“少女之死”（那部小说是由多名仰慕者讲述的五姐妹自杀的故事）。

But even the official estimates suggest that every board of directors is likely to contain at least one person with an experience of depression. In 2014, 7 per cent of US adults reported having a major episode in the past year; 16 per cent are diagnosed with depression at least once in their lifetimes.

但连官方估计都暗示，每个董事会都可能至少有一位有过抑郁经历的成员。2014年，7%的美国成年人称在过去一年经历过较严重的抑郁期；16%的美国成年人一生中至少有一次被诊断为患有抑郁症。

This may be an underestimate for directors and executives, if anecdote¹² is reliable. I know several who went through depression without admitting it, including a partner in a City of London firm and one government minister. Then there was a FTSE 100 chief executive who was charismatic at work but lay in a darkened room at home.

如果传闻可信的话，对董事和高管而言，这一比例或许低估了。我就知道好几位患过抑郁症却不愿承认的高管，包括伦敦金融城(City of London)一家公司的合伙人以及一名内阁大臣。还有一名富时100(FTSE 100)成分股公司首席执行官——工作时神采飞扬，但回家就躺在黑暗的房间里。

Therein lies a second lesson: rising to great heights in your career, as did Senn and Wauthier, may mean you are more vulnerable. Depression is not an elite¹³ disorder — it is widespread and many aspects of the lives of the less privileged and lower paid can precipitate¹⁴ mental illness. But exceptional achievement carries its own peculiar¹⁵ risks.

从这之中可以得到第二个教训：像沈文天、沃蒂耶这样走上职业生涯巅峰可能意味着你会变得更脆弱。抑郁症并非精英特有的疾患——它分布广泛，弱势及低收入群体在生活中遇到的许多事情，都会让人突然患上这种心理疾病。但非凡的成就带有其特有的风险。

Workaholism is among them. Wauthier’s widow recalled that, “Usually he had seven hours’ sleep and the rest of the time it was BlackBerry in one hand, laptop in the other”, and that he was under heavy pressure. That is not unusual in a job like his, or at professional services firms that charge so much they are at clients’ beck and call.

“工作狂”就是其中之一。沃蒂耶的遗孀回忆道，“他通常只睡七个小时，其余时间都是一手拿着黑莓(BlackBerry)，一手拿着笔记本电脑”，他承受着巨大的压力。这种状况对他这样的职位而言并非罕见，对那些收费高昂、因此对客户有求必应的专业人士而言也很常见。

One recent study of Norwegian employees found that the “workaholics”of the sample had higher levels of anxiety and depression. Thirty-four per cent of them met the medical criteria¹⁶ for anxiety, compared with 12 per cent of those who did not overwork.

一项对挪威雇员的最新研究发现，样本人群中的“工作狂”员工比其他人更焦虑、更抑郁。在工作狂员工中，有34%达到了医学上的焦虑症标准，相比之下，这一比例在非工作狂员工中仅为12%。

Cause and effect are not clear — do you become anxious by overworking, or do anxious people overwork? Anxiety can be adaptive, as psychiatrists would phrase it, up to a point: it helps people to achieve professional success. But it also makes them subject to hazard.

是加班让你变得焦虑，还是焦虑的员工更喜欢加班——其中的因果关系并不明确。正如精神病学家所言，在一定程度之内，焦虑是自我调适的结果：它可以帮助人们取得事业上的成功，但也会让人们处于危险之中。

High-flyers risk the fate of Icarus, the original high-flyer of the Greek myth, whose wings came apart when he flew too close to the sun. Some attain¹⁷ middle age without facing serious setbacks in life — they studied at elite schools and universities and have flourished in professions. When they finally encounter failure, it is a terrible shock.

一路高飞的成功人士有重蹈伊卡洛斯(Icarus)覆辙的危险——这位希腊神话中的人物是最早的“高飞者”，他飞得太靠近太阳，身上的蜡翼融化，因而坠落。有些成功人士一路就读于精英中小学和大学，在职场上也成就斐然，因而没有遇到过严重挫折就进入了中年。当最终遭遇挫败时，对他们的打击是巨大的。

After such success, it is natural to believe your life is charmed, and to flounder when you abruptly¹⁹ discover that you are as fallible as everyone else. Enoch Powell, the British politician, observed that all political lives end in failure. That is equally true of business lives: most of those who reach the top of the professional pyramid as chief executive do not stay there long.

在人生取得此般成功之后，他们自然会相信自己的人生受到了上天的眷顾，但当突然发现自己与其他人一样可能犯错时，他们自然会手足无措。英国政治家伊诺克?鲍威尔(Enoch Powell)说，所有政治生涯的结局都是失败。商业生涯也同样如此：多数到达职业金字塔顶端的首席执行官都不会在这一位置呆很久。

Some accept this but it triggers in others a biological reaction that causes depression. The distress²⁰ is often temporary, though. A setback¹⁸ does not end a career; an episode need not become a series. Depression can be chronic²¹ but midlife crises are often one-offs.

有些人可以接受这一现实，其他人则会产生引发抑郁的生物反应。尽管如此，苦闷往往是短暂的。一次挫折不会终结一个人的职业生涯；一时的抑郁未必会演变成长期、反复发作的抑郁症。抑郁症可能难以根除，但中年危机往往只发作一次。

More companies now recognise these truths and are better prepared to support employees in difficulty. The stigma²² has lessened²³ although the number of those who choose not to speak up shows that it lingers. That worsens the pain and risks catastrophe²⁴.

现在，越来越多的企业认识到了这些问题，而且在帮助陷入抑郁的员工方面做了更充足的准备。抑郁症不再是奇耻大辱，但依然有那么多人选择隐瞒自己患有抑郁症的事实，这表明耻辱感依然存在。对抑郁症感到羞耻加剧了患者的痛苦，而且可能引发灾难性后果。

“How is your mood?” psychiatrists tend to ask patients affected²⁵ by depression. Bad then but good now, is my answer. This is why the Zurich Insurance suicides are so sad. What feels hopeless at one moment later fades into history. Life can recover and fulfilment return, if you stick around.

精神病学家经常会询问抑郁症患者：“你的心情怎么样？”我的回答是，过去不好，但现在不错。这就是为什么苏黎世保险高管自杀如此令人悲痛的原因。一时的绝望在过后看来都如同过往云烟。生活可以重头再来，成就可以重新创造——只要你好好活着。

1 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

2 guilt   

n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责

参考例句：

• She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
• Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。

3 resonant   

adj.(声音)洪亮的，共鸣的

参考例句：

• She has a resonant voice.她的嗓子真亮。
• He responded with a resonant laugh.他报以洪亮的笑声。

4 multinational   

adj.多国的，多种国籍的；n.多国籍公司，跨国公司

参考例句：

• The firm was taken over by a multinational consulting firm.这家公司被一个跨国咨询公司收购。
• He analyzed the relationship between multinational corporations and under-developed countries.他分析了跨国公司和不发达国家之间的关系。

5 psychiatrists   

n.精神病专家，精神病医生( psychiatrist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They are psychiatrists in good standing. 他们是合格的精神病医生。 来自辞典例句
• Some psychiatrists have patients who grow almost alarmed at how congenial they suddenly feel. 有些精神分析学家发现，他们的某些病人在突然感到惬意的时候几乎会兴奋起来。 来自名作英译部分

6 akin   

adj.同族的，类似的

参考例句：

• She painted flowers and birds pictures akin to those of earlier feminine painters.她画一些同早期女画家类似的花鸟画。
• Listening to his life story is akin to reading a good adventure novel.听他的人生故事犹如阅读一本精彩的冒险小说。

7 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

8 euphemism   

n.婉言，委婉的说法

参考例句：

• Language reflects culture and euphemism is a mirror of culture.语言反映文化,而婉语则是各种文化的一面镜子。
• Euphemism is a very common and complicated linguistic phenomenon.委婉语是一种十分常见而又非常复杂的语言现象。

9 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

10 tempting   

a.诱人的, 吸引人的

参考例句：

• It is tempting to idealize the past. 人都爱把过去的日子说得那么美好。
• It was a tempting offer. 这是个诱人的提议。

11 narrated   

v.故事( narrate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Some of the story was narrated in the film. 该电影叙述了这个故事的部分情节。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Defoe skilfully narrated the adventures of Robinson Crusoe on his desert island. 笛福生动地叙述了鲁滨逊·克鲁索在荒岛上的冒险故事。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

12 anecdote   

n.轶事，趣闻，短故事

参考例句：

• He departed from the text to tell an anecdote.他偏离课文讲起了一则轶事。
• It had never been more than a family anecdote.那不过是个家庭趣谈罢了。

13 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

14 precipitate   

adj.突如其来的；vt.使突然发生；n.沉淀物

参考例句：

• I don't think we should make precipitate decisions.我认为我们不应该贸然作出决定。
• The king was too precipitate in declaring war.国王在宣战一事上过于轻率。

15 peculiar   

adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的

参考例句：

• He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。
• He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。

16 criteria   

n.标准

参考例句：

• The main criterion is value for money.主要的标准是钱要用得划算。
• There are strict criteria for inclusion in the competition.参赛的标准很严格。

17 attain   

vt.达到，获得，完成

参考例句：

• I used the scientific method to attain this end. 我用科学的方法来达到这一目的。
• His painstaking to attain his goal in life is praiseworthy. 他为实现人生目标所下的苦功是值得称赞的。

18 setback   

n.退步，挫折，挫败

参考例句：

• Since that time there has never been any setback in his career.从那时起他在事业上一直没有遇到周折。
• She views every minor setback as a disaster.她把每个较小的挫折都看成重大灾难。

19 abruptly   

adv.突然地，出其不意地

参考例句：

• He gestured abruptly for Virginia to get in the car.他粗鲁地示意弗吉尼亚上车。
• I was abruptly notified that a half-hour speech was expected of me.我突然被通知要讲半个小时的话。

20 distress   

n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛

参考例句：

• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。
• Please don't distress yourself.请你不要忧愁了。

21 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

22 stigma   

n.耻辱，污名；(花的)柱头

参考例句：

• Being an unmarried mother used to carry a social stigma.做未婚母亲在社会上曾是不光彩的事。
• The stigma of losing weighed heavily on the team.失败的耻辱让整个队伍压力沉重。

23 lessened   

减少的，减弱的

参考例句：

• Listening to the speech through an interpreter lessened its impact somewhat. 演讲辞通过翻译的嘴说出来，多少削弱了演讲的力量。
• The flight to suburbia lessened the number of middle-class families living within the city. 随着迁往郊外的风行，住在城内的中产家庭减少了。

24 catastrophe   

n.大灾难，大祸

参考例句：

• I owe it to you that I survived the catastrophe.亏得你我才大难不死。
• This is a catastrophe beyond human control.这是一场人类无法控制的灾难。

25 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。