Occupational Mental Disorders Research Articles

Risks of occupational mental disorders in Korean civil servants (2009-18).

Previous studies have suggested that firefighters, police officers and civil servants in the education sector, particularly in Western countries, are vulnerable to mental stress and disorders; however, evidence for this association in South Korea is lacking. This study aimed to identify whether firefighters, police officers and teachers are at a higher risk for occupational mental health disorders. We used workers' compensation claims from civil servants (2009-18). Our target population comprised 46 209 civil servants (9009 civil servants in administrative and technical positions, 23 107 police officers, 4417 firefighters and 8676 civil servants in the educational sector). Occupational and environmental medicine physicians and medical doctors defined and confirmed mental disorders. We conducted Cox proportional hazards regression analyses to evaluate civil servants' risk of occupational mental health disorders. Compared with the civil servants in administrative and technical positions, civil servants in the education sector (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.16; 95% confidence interval [CI]:1.65-2.84) showed a statistically significant increased risk of mental disorders; conversely, firefighters did not (HR = 0.80; 95% CI 0.51-1.27). Police officers had a significantly decreased mental disorder risk compared with civil servants in administrative and technical positions (HR = 0.17; 95% CI 0.11-0.25). The risk of occupational mental health disorders was higher in civil servants in the education sector but lower in police officers and firefighters than civil servants in administrative and technical positions. Further studies on civil servants' mental health awareness are required to confirm our results.

Notified occupational mental disorders: associations with health and income.

Studies indicate that workers' compensation claim processes may affect patients' health negatively. However, few studies focus on patients with mental health claims, and the claim process varies between countries. The aims of this study were to examine whether being notified to the Danish Labour Market Insurance with an occupational mental health condition was associated with changes in visits to the general practitioner (GP), use of medicine and annual income. Study participants were 965 patients with a mental disorder examined at a department of occupational medicine. Of these, 669 patients were notified with an occupational mental disorder, 296 were not. Health-related outcomes, including GP visits and prescriptions of psychotropic drugs, were estimated at baseline during the year of medical examination, while annual income was estimated a year before the examination. The follow-up was the year after the year of examination for all outcomes. Outcomes were collected from the Danish National Bureau of Statistics. Analyses were conducted using Poisson regression and conditional logistic regression. All measured outcomes decreased from baseline to follow-up in both groups. These changes were not significantly different depending on notification status at baseline. This study suggests that being notified with an occupational mental disorder does not significantly affect health-related outcomes. A significant decrease in annual income over time was seen in both groups, the notified and the unnotified group, highlighting the importance of providing support to all employees with a mental disorder.

Sick leave due to occupational mental disorders in Brazil Northeastern states: an ecological study.

Although work provides many benefits, occupational mental disorders, such as mental distress, depression, and stress-related illnesses have significantly increased. This study aims to identify and present the spatial distribution of the major mental and behavioral disorders that lead to sick leave in Brazil Northeastern states. This descriptive study with an ecological time series design aimed to identify the distribution of occupational mental and behavioral disorders in Brazil Northeastern states. Data collection included downloading information from the Observatório de Segurança e Saúde no Trabalho (SmartLab, Occupational Health and Safety Observatory) from 2012 to 2018. Data were analyzed using Python. Grants of sick leave according to the type of illness were recorded for nonaccident-related leave (B31) and accident-related leave (B91). Bahia had the highest number of cases reported for B31, as did Rio Grande do Norte for B91. Rio Grande do Norte and Alagoas stood out with the highest rates of sick leave due to mental and behavioral disorders. Phobic-anxiety disorders had the highest number of notifications. The building construction industry had the highest number of work-related notifications. This study has contributed to identifying the main occupational disorders. Public policies need to be implemented to tackle the public health crisis which directly impacts on domestic social and economic conditions.

Characteristics of compensated mental disorders caused by overwork among drivers and non-drivers in the Japanese trucking industry

This study examined the characteristics of occupational mental disorders among those involved in the transport and postal activities in the trucking industry. We examined 237 out of 3,517 cases of occupational mental disorders, compensated between the fiscal years 2010 and 2017. An assessment was made for sex, "life-or-death" status at compensation, age at the onset and suicide, the diagnosis according to the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, and other factors regarding occupational compensation. The participants were divided into two groups: truck drivers and non-truck drivers. Men accounted for approximately 90% of the cases. Depressive episode (F32) was the most common diagnosis in drivers and non-drivers, thus constituting 65 out of 149 and 48 out of 88 cases, respectively. The next most common type of mental disorder was adjustment disorders (F43.2), with 34 out of 149 drivers and 24 out of 88 non-drivers reporting them. Furthermore, the majority of drivers that had posttraumatic stress disorder (24 out of 27 cases) reported that they "suffered a serious illness or injury" and "experienced or witnessed a terrible accident or disaster." Occupational disasters due to long working hours were 52.4% for drivers and 73.9% for non-drivers. A total of 30.8% of the drivers reported working long hours since they joined the company. Drivers' long working hours entail waiting at the origin and cargo destination site, handling cargo, and incidental tasks other than driving. Thus, the reduction in work hours regarding these tasks needs to be a fundamental goal, and measures that include mental health care for accidents and miserable experiences must be implemented. However, long working hours for non-drivers are likely linked to job expansion/increase and reassignment/relocation. These findings highlight that to prevent overwork-related mental disorders, appropriate actions should be taken considering different sources of exposure for drivers or non-drivers.

PHENOMENOLOGY OF BURNOUT SYNDROME: A LONG JOURNEY FROM BURNING OUT TO RECOVERY

While burnout syndrome has been by now frequently studied and described in literature, it has not been recognized as mental illness until now. The International Classification of Diseases 11th revision (ICD-11) includes the burnout syndrome in the category of occupational mental disorders. The present article describes the phenomenology of the burnout syndrome in order to demonstrate the complexity and length of treatment. Evolution of burnout syndrome and its individual stages described by Herbert J. Freudenberger are presented together with the three key dimensions of burnout by Christine Maslach. The treatment of burnout syndrome is often a lengthy and complex process. To illustrate this phenomenon, the author refers to her personal therapeutic experience with a group of clients diagnosed with burnout syndrome and subsequently undergoing individual psychotherapy in the form of Existential Analysis. As a psychotherapy method, Existential Analysis by Alfried Längle, works with the concept of four personal motivations as preconditions of a fulfilling life. Burnout syndrome is in this context understood as a loss of sense in an activity resulting from a long-term exhaustion.

A descriptive study of claims for occupational mental disorder: adjustment disorder.

BackgroundThe number of claims of Industrial Accidents Compensation Insurance (IACI) for mental illness has increased. In particular, the approval rate was higher in cases with confirmed incident circumstances such as adjustment disorder, acute stress disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. With increased numbers of filed IACI applications and their approval rates, the need to evaluate various work-related incidents and stressors consistently is also increasing.MethodIn January 2015–December 2017, among the cases of industrial accidents filed for mental illness and suicide by the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service, 76 filed or approved adjustment disorder cases were included. The cases of adjustment disorder were applied in this study to the “Criteria for Recognition of Mental Disorders by Psychological Loads” established in Japan in 2011 and investigated if cases were approved/rejected consistently. Additionally, features with the greatest influence on approval/rejection were examined quantitatively.ResultsThe number of applications more than doubled from 2015 to 2017, with the approval rate rising from 66.7% to 90.6%. Among the major categories, applications of adjustment disorder related to “interpersonal relationships” were the largest number of applications. Applications related to “sexual harassment”, “interpersonal relationships”, and “accidents and experiences including fires” showed relatively higher approval rate. The approval rate was the lowest in the case of “change in the amount and quality of work”.ConclusionsApproved cases tend to have special precedents and strong intensity. The main reasons for the rejection were that there were no special precedents and that the intensity of the case was weak. These 2 were the most important factors in determining approval/rejection.

Incidence of overwork-related mental disorders and suicide in Japan.

Mental disorders and suicide resulting from overwork or work-related stress have become major occupational health issues worldwide, particularly in Asian countries. However, no studies have reported incidence rates of mental disorders and suicide by sex, age group and industry, using a national database containing all cases involving compensation in Asian countries. The present study examined incidence rates of occupational mental disorders and suicide by sex, age group and industry using a database containing all cases involving compensation for mental disorders and suicide in Japan over a 5-year period. Cases involving compensation for mental disorders and suicide in Japan between January 2010 and March 2015 were analysed. Incidence rates over the 5-year study period were calculated by sex, age group and industry. In total, 1990 cases involving compensation for mental disorders and suicide (619 women and 1371 men) between January 2010 and March 2015 were analysed. The incidence rate involving compensation was higher in employees aged between 30 and 39 years. In men, incidence rates were higher in 'accommodation/eating/drinking services', 'information/communication' and 'scientific research, professional and technical services'. In these industries, incidence rates were particularly high for those aged 29 years or younger. Our findings highlight the importance of promoting mental health support for younger employees and increasing awareness of their working conditions. Differences in incidence rates by sex, age and industry should be taken into consideration in the development of a national policy and industry- and age-specific preventive measures for overwork-related mental disorders and suicide.

Differences in Work-Related Adverse Events by Sex and Industry in Cases Involving Compensation for Mental Disorders and Suicide in Japan From 2010 to 2014.

This study aimed to clarify whether work-related adverse events in cases involving compensation for mental disorders and suicide differ by sex and industry using a database containing all relevant cases reported from 2010 to 2014 in Japan. A total of 1362 eligible cases involving compensation for mental disorders (422 females and 940 males) were analyzed. Among males, 55.7% of cases were attributed to "long working hours." In both sexes, the frequencies of cases attributed to "long working hours" and other events differed significantly by industry. Among cases involving compensation for suicide, 71.4% were attributed to "long working hours." The frequency distribution of work-related adverse events differed significantly by sex and industry. These differences should be taken into consideration in the development of industry-specific preventive measures for occupational mental disorders.

Overwork-related disorders in Japan: recent trends and development of a national policy to promote preventive measures.

Overwork-related disorders, such as cerebrovascular/cardiovascular diseases (CCVD) and mental disorders due to overwork, are a major occupational and public health issue worldwide, particularly in East Asian countries. This report discusses the recent trend of overwork-related disorders in Japan from the perspective of workers’ compensated occupational diseases, as well as the development of a national policy for preventive measures against overwork-related disorders in Japan. Recently, the number of claimed and compensated cases of occupational mental disorders has increased substantially, particularly among young workers, as compared to those of occupational CCVD. In response to these situations and action from society, the Japanese Government passed the “Act on Promotion of Preventive Measures against Karoshi and Other Overwork-Related Health Disorders” in June 2014 to develop a national initiative towards the prevention of overwork-related disorders. Changes in the trend of overwork-related disorders in Japan under a legal foundation and an initiative by the central government should be closely monitored so that other countries can benefit from the experiences.

Descriptive study of claims for occupational mental disorders or suicide.

BackgroundThis study aimed to identify the characteristics of claimed mental disorders. Because the workers believed the cause of the mental disorders was work-related stress or a specific event, we could identify the major work-related stressor for claimed cases.MethodsWe included claimed cases of occupational mental disorder or suicide reported during 2010–2014 to the Korea Workers Compensation and Welfare Service (KCOMWEL), established by Industrial Accidents Insurance (IACI) Act. We conducted qualitative analysis using a form specifically developed for this study as well as a quantitative analysis.ResultsOf the 569 claimed cases, 142 cases were recognized as occupational mental disorder or suicide. The approval rate was 24.9 %. Suicide was the most commonly approved mental disorder (23.0 %), followed by major depressive disorder (14.9 %). Regarding profession, 109 workers were managers, and 95 workers were office clerks. The main work-related stressors of the approved cases were acute stressful events (76 cases), long working hours (12 cases), and changes in workload (6 cases). The primary stressful events were work-related legal problems, workplace violence, and employment status-related issues.ConclusionClaims due to mental disorders or suicide increased during the 5-year study period, and the approval rate was approximately 33 %, and the main stressor of the claimed cases was an acute stressful event such as physiologic trauma, employment-related issues, fear of legal or financial responsibility, abrupt change in organizational responsibility, or workplace violence.

Compensation for occupational neurological and mental disorders.

Standards for the recognition of occupational diseases (ODs) in Korea were established in 1954 and have been amended several times. In 2013, there was a significant change in these standards. On the basis of scientific evidence and causality, the International Labour Organization list, European Commission schedule, and compensated cases in Korea were reviewed to revise the previous standards for the recognition of ODs in Korea. A disease-based approach using the International Classification of Diseases (10th version) was added on the previous standards, which were agent-specific approaches. The amended compensable occupational neurological disorders and occupational mental disorders (OMDs) in Korea are acute and chronic central nervous system (CNS) disorders, toxic neuropathy, peripheral neuropathy, manganese-related disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Several agents including trichloroethylene (TCE), benzene, vinyl chloride, organotin, methyl bromide, and carbon monoxide (CO) were newly included as acute CNS disorders. TCE, lead, and mercury were newly included as chronic CNS disorders. Mercury, TCE, methyl n-butyl ketone, acrylamide, and arsenic were newly included in peripheral neuropathy. Post-traumatic stress disorders were newly included as the first OMD. This amendment makes the standard more comprehensive and practical. However, this amendment does not perfectly reflect the recent scientific progress and social concerns. Ongoing effort, research, and expert consensus are needed to improve the standard.