Do you know how many medical issues "feeling sleepy" is a symptom of? Sleep apnea, anemia, acute liver failure, fibromyalgia, a thyroid issue, cancer, medication side-effects and many other issues are just as likely a diagnosis as depression from the information we have. I don't think it is helpful to diagnose strangers with specific serious medical conditions. Maybe they don't need a support group - maybe they need an MRI. Being sleepy and unmotivated is not the same as being depressed.

@ColleenV I don't think he diagnosed me with depression. He suggested I consult with a professional if I have symptoms. Very different things.

@CodePanda Why did he not suggest you get checked for cancer, or for liver failure, or see a sleep specialist? He absolutely did diagnose you by favoring depression over any of the other reasons you could be sleepy. If you are feeling unwell, you should of course consult with your doctor to see if there's an issue. You don't have to be told "your liver could be failing!" to say that.

@ColleenV: If you have something constructive to add, I would appreciate that. I expressed something that is of a concern to me as a manager. You're right that it could be one of any number of medical conditions. My suggestion is that it is not just "laziness" or "techniques for being productive". There may be something underlying causing it, and as a leader of an organization, depression in the current climate is my first concern.

Depression diagnosis is a complex topic. Some excerpts from studies: ...data suggest that the under-diagnosis and under-treatment of many who are in need of treatment occurs in conjunction with the over-diagnosis and over-treatment of others who do not need such treatment. the modest prevalence of depression in primary care means that misidentifications outnumber missed cases. This jump to associate relatively normal episodes of fatigue or lack of focus with serious depression may be well-meaning but is ultimately harmful and contributes to over-diagnosis and over-treatment.

I understand the desire to be involved in coworker/employee wellness and to be supportive and understanding during a pandemic, but "Oh you're sleepy? You should go get checked for depression. Don't bother with "productivity tips", they probably won't help." is not good advice. If someone goes to their primary care physician to get checked for depression, is is more likely than not they will be misdiagnosed based on statistics from studies.

@ColleenV: I didn't say "don't bother". I said if the problem is mental health related that those tips would not be fruitful. Neither your answer nor my answer is "right". They both support avenues to return to productivity. They just observe the problem from different angles. My answer is not contradictory to yours it is supplementary. Blaming stuff on depression and not engaging in techniques is just as fruitless as engaging in techniques and not addressing mental health. I will recognize a statement I made as suggesting what you're reading, and so I will make an edit to clarify that.

@ColleenV I don't know how the medical system works where you live, but in the UK you don't ever go to a medical professional and "ask to be diagnosed for cancer" (or any other illness). It is the professional's job to diagnose what is wrong with you.

Feeling sleepy can also be a result of significant changes to diet, exercise or working habits or getting less sunlight or fresh air, some to all of which applies to many people as a result of the pandemic. It could also be due to working on something you find boring, or not doing much at all, or indeed drinking too much coffee, all of which apply to the asker specifically. So supposing depression based on that seems like a bit of a stretch. Although speaking to a doctor about persistent exhaustion is not a bad idea, and a lack of motivation to do work might be a reason to speak to a therapist

@ColleenV: where I am, a physician who suspects depression will check for all those issues you mention and a couple more. (This is also why it is a good idea to consult a physician as the first step.) And the physician will do that much better than strangers on the internet. OTOH, several of the possibilities you mention are far less likely than depression based on the information we have: point prevalence of depression is in the double-digit percentages for many populations (see e.g. doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-21243-x) incidence of e.g. fibromyalgia is ≈1 per 100 person-years

If you're stuck all day at home, never going out, and you don't do any strenuous physical work, it's not that surprising to find yourself sleeping less than when you had to drive or commute back and forth and then engage with bosses, coworkers, clients, organise meetings, etc. etc. Far better than taking antidepressants, which docs too often have a habit of over prescribing, are walks in the fresh open air, going to the gym, even having an exciting project to look forward to...

I agree with ColleenV above. While it should not be dismissed, given the circumstances (near total atomization of social life for the past year), handing the issue over to to medical professionals seems to me like it is trivializing the question a little bit. Again, not to dismiss the possibility, but more to ask whether this should be the first move in response. And here's another angle on that -- if everyone who experienced similar things in the past year went running for the doc, the medical system would be swamped for months, wouldn't it?

Surely downplaying one person's health issues because of hypothetical effects in a hypothetical scenario is the response that is trivializing, @PeteW.

@Matthew Read - Re: hypothetical - I live in the US, in the state that considers itself to be the financial center of the country. According to the estimates of the state, we have enough mental health providers to treat just over 40% of the people who are estimated to have mental health issues. That is in ordinary times. The past 12 months have created external sources of pressure on nearly all people, just like this, and I'm certain an unusual number of people you know have experienced something similar. IMO this is in another category entirely, for which the system is not prepared.

@ColleenV "Depression is on the rise. Therefore anyone with symtoms of depression is going to be misdianosed with depression." Sorry, but not sorry, that is like saying that during the Great Fire of London, houses with smoke are going to be misdianosed as being on fire.

@ColleenV Stackexchange has historically accepted answers that are off topic when the root cause is different from what the OP think it is. We often call this an "XY Question"

Sleepiness can just be a result of boredom and lack of motivation. Doesn’t have to be full-blown depression or some other illness. It sometimes happens to me when I don’t have anything to do. But then I can do a full day of hiking on the weekend, so I guess I’m fine.