Abstract
BackgroundCommon mental disorders are one of the leading causes for sickness absence and early retirement due to reduced health. Furthermore, a treatment gap for common mental disorders has been described worldwide. Within this study, psychotherapeutic consultation at work defined as a tailored, module-based and work-related psychotherapeutic intervention will be applied to improve mental health care.MethodsThis study comprises a randomised controlled multicentre trial with 1:1 allocation to an intervention and control group. In total, 520 employees with common mental disorders shall be recruited from companies being located around five study centres in Germany. Besides care as usual, the intervention group will receive up to 17 sessions of psychotherapy. The first session will include basics diagnostics and medical indication of treatment and the second session will include work-related diagnostics. Then, participants of the intervention group may receive work-related psychotherapeutic consultation for up to ten sessions. Further psychotherapeutic consultation during return to work for up to five sessions will be offered where appropriate. The control group will receive care as usual and the first intervention session of basic diagnostics and medical indication of treatment. After enrolment to the study, participants will be followed up after nine (first follow-up) and fifteen (second follow-up) months. Self-reported days of sickness absence within the last 6 months at the second follow-up will be used as the primary outcome and self-efficacy at the second follow-up as the secondary outcome. Furthermore, a cost-benefit assessment related to costs of common mental disorders for social insurances and companies will be performed.DiscussionPsychotherapeutic consultation at work represents a low threshold care model aiming to overcome treatment gaps for employees with common mental disorders. If successfully implemented and evaluated, it might serve as a role model to the care of employees with common mental disorders and might be adopted in standard care in cooperation with sickness and pension insurances in Germany.Trial registrationThe friaa project was registered at the German Clinical Trial Register (DRKS) at 01.03.2021 (DRKS00023049): https://www.drks.de/drks_web/navigate.do?navigationId=trial.HTML&TRIAL_ID=DRKS00023049.
Highlights
Common mental disorders are one of the leading causes for sickness absence and early retirement due to reduced health
Prevention, early treatment and well-concerted reintegration after sickness absence might act as key factors to reduce the risk of chronicity of Common mental disorder (CMD), long and recurrent sickness absence and early retirement due to CMDs
Inadequate and late treatment may increase the risk of chronicity of CMDs [84] and might contribute to long and recurrent sickness absence and premature retirement [3, 4]
Summary
Common mental disorders are one of the leading causes for sickness absence and early retirement due to reduced health. Common mental disorders (CMDs) are one of the major public health problems worldwide with an estimated twelve-month global prevalence rate of 17.6% [1]. According to their high burden of disease [2], CMDs are one of the leading causes for sickness absence [3] and go along with high risks of early retirement [4]. Reasons are related to the health-care system itself including long waiting times on therapy [9,10,11]
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