Mental health problems as a cause of long-term sick leave in the Norwegianworkforce

Aims: There has been a growing concern about the proportion and socioeconom ic consequences of work incapacity due to mental health problems, The aim o f the present study was to describe the incidence and duration of different categories of mental health problems with at least two weeks of compensate d absence from work in the general working population in Norway. Methods: C ases were identified from files of the national medical insurance system. c overing 90% of all employees, while census data were used for the denominat ors. Based on the International Classification of Primary Care, a total of 101,512 individuals with one or more long-term sick leaves (>2 weeks) due t o psychological problems were identified in 1997 and 1998. Results: Employe es absent for psychological problems accounted for 16.8% of all incidences and 31.5% of all refunded sick days. The average one-year incidence was 2.4 7% and was significantly higher for women (3.53%) than for men (1.66%). The incidence increased with increasing age, and more so for women than for me n. The median duration of absence for all claimants was 79 days. Approximat ely 25% were back to work after one month, 52% after three months. while 8. 5% had not returned to work after 12 months and were transferred to other f orms of compensation. The length of sick leave varied considerably with dia gnostic category. age, and gender. Conclusion: Mental health problems const itute a major health problem in the Norwegian workforce today. There is an urgent need for more knowledge about the effectiveness of interventions.