Aim : The purpose of this study was to describe the clinical characteristics of patients with workplace-associated mood disorder.
 Method : We conducted a clinical survey involving 84 clinical cases（regular employees suffering from mood disorder）who were hospitalized in the Psychiatry Department of Jichi Medical University Hospital,for a period over 8 years and 4 months between April 1st,2000 and July 31st, 2008.
 Results : The size of the workplace-associated group as a percentage of those patients in whom the onset of the symptom was occasioned by an evident issue at their workplace was 65%. This rate accounted for 74% of the total patients if clinical cases in which an evident issue at the workplace served as a significant trigger for the symptom were added to these patients in the case of an initial episode in the “non-workplace associated group”.
 In the workplace-associated group, cases in which the premorbid character was a “depression-related personality”comprised only 42%,and was noticeably characterized by a perfection-oriented habit,enthusiastic character,conformity with other people,etc. Furthermore, the percentage of patients who were diagnosed with a “depression-related personality” comprised only 59% of the “overworked group”, in which a heavy workload was evident in the workplace-associated group. In the workplace-associated group,the percentage of cases involving managerial workers was significantly high ; their rate as initial cases was significantly high,as well the proportion of favorable outcomes. In the workplace-associated group,the percentage of patients who showed unambiguous depression at the initial stage was significantly low. Likewise, a similar result was obtained in the overworked group.
 Conclusions : Workplace-associated mood disorder today tends to have a stress-related aspect,or aspect of adjustment disorder. There was a period in many cases during which the main symptoms were insomnia, headache, panic attack,etc.,prior to the onset of unambiguous depression in the workplace-associated mood disorder group. In depression associated with workplace-associated mood disorder, there are two pathological stages. The stage of adjustment disorder is the period in which such conditions are the main symptoms, and a serious or moderate stage of major depressive disorder is the period after full-scale depression develops in the wake of the former stage. What contributes to protection against depression are a proper diagnosis of depression whose pathological condition is at an early adjustment disorder stage and appropriate therapeutic measures.