title: Psychiatric disorders in long-term sickness absence -- a population-based cross-sectional study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The study estimates the incidence of psychiatric disorders in long-term sickness absence (LSA; more than eight weeks of continuous sickness absence) over one year. The study is the first accounting for everybody on LSA by linking a psychiatric assessment for all persons on LSA to public registers.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a Danish population of 120,000 inhabitants all 2,414 incident persons on LSA within one year were posted a questionnaire, of whom 1,121 (46.4%) responded. In a two phase design the 1,121 sick-listed persons were screened for psychiatric disorders. Phase 2 consisted of 844 people with predefined scores on CMD-SQ of whom 423 were randomly invited to a psychiatric examination and 329 participated. A further 11 who did not fulfil the predefined criteria were invited, of whom eight participated. The examination included a diagnostic interview by Present State Examination.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The 329 examined persons in Phase 2 showed by binomial tests the following frequencies: any psychiatric disorder 57%, any depression 42%, and any anxiety 18%. In Phase 1, representative for everyone on LSA, the frequencies were 48% for any psychiatric disorder, 35% for any depression, 15% for any anxiety, and 7% for any somatoform disorder. Multivariable analyses showed that female sex and unemployment were predictors of a psychiatric disorder, whereas living with children below 18 years and being a skilled worker carried a reduced risk of a psychiatric disorder.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The high frequency of psychiatric disorders necessitates further population-based studies documenting the efficiency of screening and psychiatric examinations in LSA.
authors.affiliation: Central Denmark Region, Regional Psychiatric Services, Herning and Psychiatric Research Unit West, Gl. Landevej 61, 7400 Herning, Denmark. hjsoegaard@dadlnet.dk
authors.forename: Hans Jørgen
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Søgaard
authors.forename: Per
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bech
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D018582:Sick Leave; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors