Introduction. 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. Material and
methods. 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. Results and conclusion. 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.
Scale Refinement and Initial Evaluation of a Behavioral Health Function Measurement Tool for Work Disability Evaluation
