Working disability evaluation of mentally ill persons in times of socioeconomic crisis

Abstract

Mental disorders reduce social functioning of ill persons in general and often cause permanent work disability. Psychiatric services try to solve individual professional or financial status in economic crisis conditions. The possible causes of disability in psychiatric patients, besides illness, are psychosocial factors. The aim of this research was to determine the number of mentally ill persons as well as morbidity structure changes in work disability evaluation in the last five years. The research included 617 psychiatric patients referred for work disability evaluation in this five-year period (2004-2008). The data contained gender, age, psychiatric diagnosis and the suggested level of disability. In the morbidity structure, a significant increase was found in the group of patients with psychoactive substance abuse, in whom the likelihood of permanent work disability was frequent. A significant decrease was observed in the group of patients with mental retardation. The number of patients with schizophrenia was similar in the study period. The patients with mood disorders, neurotic, stress-related and somatoform disorders were present in a relatively high number. The evaluation and suggestion for permanent work disability increased statistically significantly, while the number of patients in need for material security decreased in the period of socioeconomic crisis. Disability trend in the population of mentally ill patients is still not favourable, and therefore, their work disability monitoring is an adequate parameter which identifies work inefficacy and unemployment as an important factor of a poor life quality in psychiatric patients.