Money really can't buy happiness, according to a new survey showing lawyers and other well-paid white-collar workers are more likely to sufferdepression.

A national survey of more than 7500 professionals has found that almost one in 10 reported moderate to severe depressive symptoms.

The legal profession had the worst result, with almost 16 per cent reporting symptoms of clinical depression. Next were accountants and insuranceunderwriters, both on 10 per cent.

People in IT services, architecture and engineering also had depression rates above the average.

The survey conducted by Beyondblue, an organizationdevoted to fighting depression, also showed that those under 30 had the highest rates of depression and were the most likely to "self-medicate" with drugs and alcohol.

Beyondblue deputy chief executive and psychologist, Dr Nicole Highet, said the survey-the largest of its kind- was first to reveal the extent of the problem.

"We often associate depression with the most socially disadvantaged (and) people under financial pressure, but here's a whole different group," Dr Highet said.

She said while it was difficult to know exactly what made some groups more prone to depression, it was likely to be driven by work pressures.

"It seems, with law in particular, there's a problem with employee expectations and their working reality," Dr Highet said.

"People base their whole identities on being successful in their role and when it doesn't live up to expectations, and they fail to keep a work-life balance, that impacts on their mental health."

Among female lawyers, the average age of first pregnancy was 39, "reflecting the all-or-nothing pressure that the sector places on individuals", she said.

Law Institute of Victoria chief executive Michael Brett Young said the survey supported anecdotal evidence that depression was a growing problem.

"Our message is no one should feel ashamed about being stressed," Mr Young said.

"Ask for help from your colleagues rather than suffer in silence."

看来金钱确实买不到快乐。一项最新调查表明，律师和其他一些高薪白领患抑郁症的几率较大。

一项对7500多名职员开展的全国性调查发现，近十分之一的受访者称自己有中度至重度的抑郁症症状。

法律行业的情况更糟糕，近16%的人称自己有临床抑郁症的症状。会计和保险承保人的这一比例位居其后，均为10%。

IT服务、建筑和工程行业的人患抑郁症的比例也高于平均水平。

此外，这项由抗抑郁症组织Beyondblue开展的调查表明，30岁以下的人患抑郁症的比例最高，而且这一人群用药物和酒精饮料进行“自行治疗"的几率最大。

Beyondblue副首席执行官、心理学家妮可·海耶特博士说，该调查是此领域目前规模最大的一次，首次暴露了这个问题的严重程度。

海耶特博士说：“我们常把抑郁症与最弱势的社会群体以及有经济压力的人联系在一起，但事实上是另一个完全不同的人群存在这个问题。”

她说，至于为什么有些人群更容易患抑郁症还难以解释，但这可能是由于工作压力造成的。

海耶特说：“员工的期望值与他们实际工作状况的差别可能是个主要问题，尤其对于法律行业的人来说。”

“人们将事业成功作为自己的首要目标，当实际情况达不到期望值时，他们就无法维持工作与生活的平衡了，这便会对他们的心理健康产生影响。”

她说，女律师首次怀孕的平均年龄为39岁，“这反映了这个行业对从业者的压力是一种极端的状况，要么压力很大，要么没有压力。”

维克多利亚律师事务所的首席执行官迈克尔·布雷特·杨说，这项调查证明抑郁症是个越来越严重的问题。

杨说：“我们的观点是，患抑郁症的人不应该觉得这是一种羞耻。”

“向你的同事求助，不要自己默默的承受。”