title: Depression and disability pension in Finland.
abstract: During the period 1987-1994 there has been a threefold increase in disability pensions granted to individuals with affective disorders in Finland. Possible reasons for this development include a deep economic recession, changes in the diagnostic system, and better recognition of affective disorders. Against this background, it seems relevant to ask why, over the same period, the functional capacity of depressive patients has markedly deteriorated, causing an increase in disability pensions, despite the fact that many new drugs and other treatments have become available.
authors.affiliation: Social Insurance Institution, Research and Development Unit, Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: J K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Salminen
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saarijärvi
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Raitasalo
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000145:classification; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D004608:Eligibility Determination; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D010415:Pensions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012050:Rehabilitation, Vocational / Q000523:psychology