Work Aversion Disorder

A psychiatric medical condition in which a person is repulsed by working or being employed. As a result, s/he makes excuses to avoid working for a living.

One with Work Aversion Disorder (WAD) may appear to be lazy, immature, irresponsible, or to have a poor work ethic, but that is not the case. S/he is actually psychologically unable to seek or perform employment. Most of these people are able to do work-like activities outside of the context of employment.

Work Aversion Disorder is caused by various mental illnesses, including anxiety disorder (like agoraphobia or panic disorders), depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or post-traumatic stress disorder.

People with Work Aversion Disorder usually do not admit they have work aversion, but make excuses not to work, such as physical illness, external obstacles, religious beliefs, or non-paying obligations in their lives, and often turn to extreme measures to obtain money needed such as draining savings, getting into debt, looking for easy money, begging, gambling, or in the worst cases, illegal activity.

It is common for people with Work Aversion Disorder to lose friends, marriages to dissolve, and family members to disown victims.

It is estimated that about 1-2% of the population worldwide has Work Aversion Disorder. The rate is equal in all countries, races, cultures, and genders, though it only has been recognized as a disorder since the 1980s, in most cases, it goes unnoticed.

My son has Work Aversion Disorder. He once had a full-time job and was fully self-supporting, but now he doesn't work at all. He is behind on all his bills, his house is in foreclosure, and his car was recently repossessed.

At first, I was telling him to go out and get a job. I then realized that would not solve the problem. He really needs help. He has an illness, and he needs to be treated.

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