Feeling particularly stressed at work? Look around you.

Even in good times, it's not always easy to keep your cool on the job. But as the economy falters and layoffs sweep certain industries, many people are more worried than ever about job security -- in addition to fretting over the value of their homes, the cost of college and a host of other issues. Making matters worse: Stressed-out bosses and co-workers tend to pass tension on to others.

Mental-health experts say they're seeing increasing signs of stress this year, with more people seeking professional help for mental strain brought on by financial or work issues. Since the Bear Stearns collapse last spring, calls to employee-assistance programs -- which help people with mental-health and personal problems -- have risen about 10%, according to the Employee Assistance Professionals Association, a membership organization based in Arlington, Va.

Most people can handle the strain. But what do you do when you think that the person sitting next to you at work cannot?

If you see a co-worker suffering, it's understandable that you may want to offer help. And if you're the boss, in addition to alleviating distress, you will also need to worry about a worker's productivity, as well as office morale.

Indeed, employers may be held liable for failing to prevent the worst-case scenario -- office violence. Warning signs include direct threats, menacing gestures or statements such as, 'You wouldn't miss me if I were gone.'

'If you are afraid of someone, there is probably a good reason,' says Marina London, Web editor for the Employee Assistance Professionals Association and a licensed social worker. Experts say that someone who appears to be a threat should be dealt with by managers immediately and carefully, with the help of security.

But the vast majority of people suffering from mental stress in the workplace don't become violent, and the warning signs that something is wrong may be more subtle. In fact, by the time you notice that a co-worker has a problem, it's likely been going on for a while. That's why experts suggest intervening early.

'Work conditions can cause mental illness,' says Rodney L. Lowman, a psychologist who specializes in occupational mental health and president of Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. 'If we put healthy, well-adjusted people in the right foxhole with guns blaring at them, the likelihood of them experiencing depression and anxiety is very high.'

Experts say the most significant warning signs are changes in behavior, including work patterns, eating habits or drinking. Someone may start working too hard. He may show up late, appear despondent, withdrawn or abrasive, and seem increasingly annoyed. 'Just being different is not the problem. It's the change,' says James Campbell Quick, a professor at the University of Texas at Arlington who teaches preventive stress management.

Earlier this summer, Talia Witkowski was struggling through a meeting at the Los Angeles nonprofit organization where she worked when her boss pulled her aside. Dr. Witkowski, a psychologist, says the boss told her she didn't seem as sharp as usual and recommended that she take the rest of the day off to clear her mind. Dr. Witkowski went home, took a walk, wrote in her journal, and prepared a nice dinner for herself. 'I was very thankful for her insight and intuition and for having been given the rest of the afternoon off to get back to center,' says Dr. Witkowski.

When trying to help someone who is suffering from mental distress, it is critical to approach with empathy. 'Let the individual know that you have a sense of understanding where they are coming from,' says John Weaver, a psychologist in Waukesha, Wis., who consults with businesses.

It's perfectly fine, and can be helpful, to ask a co-worker how he's doing. But it's important not to be intrusive. 'Say, 'I am sure you are experiencing a lot of stress at work; how are you coping?'' says Dr. Lowman. 'It's about inviting conversation, not demanding answers.'

And never suggest that someone has a mental illness. 'You always want to describe behavior, rather than label the person,' says Ms. London, of the Employee Assistance Professionals Association. 'So you don't want to say, 'I think you are anorexic.' You want to say, 'I am very concerned; I think you are losing a great deal of weight.' And you don't want to say, 'I think you are an alcoholic.' You want to say, 'I am worried that every night after work you have six beers.''

If the colleague you are trying to help appears receptive, you may want to recommend they speak to a mental-health professional at your company's employee-assistance program. Many employers contract with outside firms to offer these services. 'The job is encouraging them to go to an appropriate source for help and to get them to do that early rather than later,' says Dr. Lowman.

You should never offer help outside of work, especially if you are the boss. 'It always ends badly,' says Michael P. Maslanka, a labor and employment law attorney in Dallas. People under duress will sometimes attach themselves to the person who tries to help them and think that the solution to their problems is to talk to this person. They may start requesting increasing amounts of help.

'If it's serious, you need to point out that, 'I am not an expert,'' says Lester Tobias, a psychologist in Westborough, Mass., who specializes in management issues. He suggests saying, ''I think this is over my head and you really need to talk to a professional if you want to talk.''

If you are the boss, offering help outside of the office -- calling the doctor to make an appointment, for instance, or offering a ride -- may open you up to liability. Once you undertake the duty to help, the duty continues. If you don't continue with this responsibility in the future, you could be sued for negligence.

So if you are the boss, you should offer only work-related help. Hand out the number to your employee-assistance program. Try to lighten someone's workload. Encourage the person to take vacation. Offer additional time off without pay.

And if the worker you're trying to help resists your overture -- and there doesn't seem to be a risk he will hurt someone, including himself, or his productivity isn't suffering -- back off, at least for now.

'You've communicated that you care about them,' says Dr. Lowman. And that, he says, 'may be helpful in itself.'

觉得工作压力特别大？看看你周围的人吧。

就算是在繁荣时期，在工作上一直保持冷静也不是件容易的事。但随着经济出现问题，裁员大潮开始席卷一些行业，许多人都比以前更担心自己的饭碗牢不牢靠──而房子的价值、教育费用以及一大堆其他问题本来就已经够让人挠头的了。更糟糕的是：不堪重负的老板和同事往往会将压力转嫁给其他人。

心理健康专家表示，今年的压力迹象日渐增多，越来越多的人因财务或工作问题造成的精神压力而寻求专业帮助。据位于弗吉尼亚州阿灵顿的会员制机构员工协助专业协会(Employee Assistance Professionals Association)统计，自贝尔斯登崩溃以来，打给员工协助方案的电话增加了10%左右，员工协助方案旨在为有心理健康问题和私人问题的人提供帮助。

大多数人都能应对压力。但如果你觉得坐在你隔壁的同事无法应对，该怎么办？

如果你发现同事出现问题，你或许会想提供帮助，这是可以理解的。而如果你是老板，除了减轻压力，你还得担心员工的效率以及办公室的士气。

事实上，如果不能防止最严重的情形──办公室暴力，老板可能得为此负责。危险迹象包括直接威胁、作出威胁姿态或是说一些诸如“如果我不在了你们也不会想我”之类的话。

员工协助专业协会的网站编辑、注册社工马里纳?伦敦(Marina London)说，如果你害怕某个人，很可能有充分的理由。专家表示，对于显露出危险迹象的人，管理人员应当在安全人员的协助下立即给予谨慎的处理。

但大多数在职场承受着精神压力的人都不会出现暴力行为，而显示不对劲的警告信号可能也更为微妙。事实上，等你意识到同事有问题时，很可能这种情况已经持续一段时间了。这也是专家建议尽早干预的原因。

苏必利尔湖大学(Lake Superior State University)校长、专门研究职业心理健康的心理学家罗德尼?L.洛曼(Rodney L. Lowman)说，工作环境可能导致精神疾病，如果我们将健康的、心态良好的人放在枪林弹雨的环境中，他们觉得沮丧和焦虑的可能性很高。

专家表示，最显著的警示信号是行为的变化，包括工作方式、饮食习惯等等。一些人可能会开始拼命工作。他可能会迟到，显得沮丧、孤僻或粗暴，好像越来越不耐烦。得克萨斯大学阿灵顿分校(University of Texas at Arlington)的预防性压力管理教授奎克(James Campbell Quick)说，问题不在于与众不同，而是所发生的变化。

今年夏天早些时候，在一个洛杉矶非营利机构工作的塔利亚?维特科夫斯基(Talia Witkowski)开会时力不从心，她的老板将她拉到一边。身为心理学家的维特科夫斯基说，老板说她不像平时那么敏锐，建议她那天剩下的时间休个假放松一下情绪。维特科夫斯基回到家，散了散步，写了日记，然后为自己准备了一顿美味的晚餐。她表示，非常感谢老板的洞察力和直觉，并给她放了一下午假让她冷静下来。

在试图帮助承受精神压力的人时，最重要的是与对方产生共鸣。威斯康星州Waukesha的心理学家、为企业担任顾问的约翰?韦弗(John Weaver)说，要让对方知道你理解他们的处境。

问同事过得怎么样是完全没问题的，而且会有帮助。但重要的是不要冒昧。洛曼说，像“我觉得你在工作中有许多压力，你应付得怎么样”这种说法是可以的，重要的是进行交流，而不是要求对方回答问题。

永远不要说别人有精神疾病。员工协助专业协会的伦敦说，你只能描述其行为，而不要直接下结论；你不能说“我觉得你有厌食症”，只能说“我很担心，我觉得你瘦了很多”。也不要说“我觉得你是个酒鬼”，只能说“每天晚上下班后你都喝六瓶啤酒，我对此很担心”。

如果你想帮助的那位同事显得愿意接受，你可以建议他们与公司员工协助计划的心理健康专家谈谈。许多雇主都与外面的公司签约，提供这类服务。洛曼说，要做的就是鼓励员工去一个适当的渠道寻求帮助，并让他们尽早这样做，而不要越拖越晚。

绝对不能在工作之外提供帮助，尤其如果你是老板的话。达拉斯的劳工与职业律师迈克尔?P?马斯兰卡(Michael P. Maslanka)说，这样做总是会有不好的结果。处于压力之下的人有时会依赖试图帮助自己的人，认为跟这个人谈谈就能解决自己的问题。他们可能会开始要求更多的帮助。

马萨诸塞州Westborough的心理学家、专攻管理问题的莱斯特?托比阿斯(Lester Tobias)说，如果情况严重，你得指出“我不是专家”。他建议的说法是：“我觉得这个问题超出了我的能力范围，如果你想谈谈的话，你真的需要跟专家谈。

如果你是老板，在办公室之外提供帮助──比如说打电话跟医生约时间，或是让人搭车──会让你担上责任。你一旦承担了帮助别人的责任，这种责任就会继续。如果你将来不继续承担这种责任，就会受到疏忽的指责。

因此如果你是老板，你应该只提供与工作相关的帮助。将员工协助计划的电话号码告诉大家；试试减轻某些人的工作负担；鼓励员工休假；给员工额外的无薪假。

而如果你想帮助的对象并不领情，而他似乎并不会伤害任何人，包括他自己，同时他的效率也没有下降──那就算了吧，至少暂时算了。

洛曼说，你已经表达了自己的关心，这一点本身就会有帮助。