Mental health: According to a new study from Aarhus University, people with mental disorders work 10.5 years less than the general population.
The study is the first to map an estimate of lost working years due to mental diseases. Aarhus University researchers were able to shed light on some of the effects suffered by those diagnosed with a mental disease by looking at data from all adults aged 18-65 years registered in Denmark over a 22-year period.
The study, which was published in The Lance, followed a total of 5,163,321 people in Denmark, 488,775 of whom had a mental condition. The researchers discovered that all identified mental disorders are linked to a significant loss of working life.
While it is not news that people with mental illnesses are more likely to be unemployed or on disability benefits, the study is the first to quantify an estimated measure of time lost, according to the study’s lead author, Associate Professor Oleguer Plana-Ripoll of Aarhus University’s Department of Epidemiology:
He says, “It is not surprising that people diagnosed with mental disorders experience more time outside the workforce, we already knew that. But the magnitude surprised us, losing an average of 10.5 years of working life is a lot.”
The researchers acquired information on mental diseases from the Danish Psychiatric Central Research Register and information on labour market characteristics from administrative registers, providing them with a precise overview of the impact of mental disorder diagnosis.
According to Oleguer Plana-Ripoll, the data highlight the significant impact mental diseases have on the lives of persons who are diagnosed.
“Our study shows that patients with mental disorders to a very high degree are more unable to work or study compared to the average Danish population. There is a need to invest in programmes that reduce the number of working years lost and assist people with mental disorders in returning to the workforce,” he says.
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Schizophrenia has the most influence.
The researchers first calculated the total number of working years lost due to all mental disorders combined, arriving at an average of 10.5 years. Following that, the researchers divided it into 24 different categories of mental diagnoses, indicating that some diagnoses had a greater impact on the patient’s capacity to work or study than others.
According to the study, those diagnosed with schizophrenia lose an average of 24 years of working life after being diagnosed. People with single or persistent depression lose around ten years.
Those diagnosed with mental disorders in the study are those who have had treatment in the psychiatric system; hence, some disorders, such as depression or anxiety, are regarded more severe cases.
Even if lesser occurrences of sadness and anxiety are not included in the data, those affected will most likely miss out on studying or working, according to Oleguer Plana-Ripoll.
“The cases with depression and anxiety diagnoses in this data set are the more severe cases that seek treatment from a psychiatrist.” However, there are many more examples when patients are treated by their own doctor or do not receive therapy at all.
While the average working life loss for these people is likely to be smaller, “we assume that mild cases of mental illnesses will also be connected with a reduction in working life because we noticed that all sorts of mental diseases are to some extent,” he continues.
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Time missed due to a reduction in disability pension
The researchers also discovered that between 1995 and 2016, the number of working years lost owing to disability compensation was nearly cut in half in Denmark. This correlates with a legislative change implemented in 2013, which makes it more difficult for young individuals, in particular, to get a disability pension. Working years lost due to a disability pension totaled 9.7 years between 1995 and 2000.
This fell to 5.2 years between 2011 and 2016. However, that decline has nearly been equaled by an increase in working years lost owing to illness or unemployment, which has risen from 1.8 to 4.4 years. Oleguer Plana-Ripoll plans to investigate this link further in a future study.
“This study was descriptive, meaning we just looked at and summarised the numbers. We plan to conduct a new study in which we will examine the reasons behind these numbers, as well as take a deeper look into the possible effects of the 2013 reform.”
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