title: Evaluating the capacity to work of the mentally ill.
abstract: This study explored the relationship between psychiatric symptomatology and the functional capacity to work. Subjects were diagnosed using DSM-III criteria and were grouped into categories of psychotic or nonpsychotic, and disabled or nondisabled, in regard to adjudication for mental impairment from the Social Security Administration (SSA). There were significant relationships between disability status and work capacity, in the direction of better performance for the nondisabled subjects. This finding reflected concordance between the evaluation procedure used in the study and the SSA's disability determination process. There was considerable overlap in work performance among subjects, however, suggesting that a functional assessment of work capacity might improve disability determination in certain cases. Results suggested that these work assessments might be as short as one or two days.
authors.affiliation: UCLA School of Medicine-Department of Psychiatry.
authors.forename: H K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Massel
authors.forename: R P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Liberman
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mintz
authors.forename: H E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Jacobs
authors.forename: T V
authors.initials: TV
authors.lastname: Rush
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Giannini
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zarate
mesh_terms: D004185:Disability Evaluation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D012050:Rehabilitation, Vocational; D012943:Social Security / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D014938:Work Capacity Evaluation