title: [Clinical characteristics of patients with workplace-associated mood disorder --comparison with non-workplace-associated group].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to describe the clinical characteristics of patients with workplace-associated mood disorder.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a clinical survey involving 84 clinical cases (regular employees suffering from mood disorder) who were hospitalized in the Psychiatry Department of Jichi Medical University Hospital, for a period over 8 years and 4 months between April 1st, 2000 and July 31st, 2008.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The size of the workplace-associated group as a percentage of those patients in whom the onset of the symptom was occasioned by an evident issue at their workplace was 65%. This rate accounted for 74% of the total patients if clinical cases in which an evident issue at the workplace served as a significant trigger for the symptom were added to these patients in the case of an initial episode in the "non-workplace associated group". In the workplace-associated group, cases in which the premorbid character was a "depression-related personality" comprised only 42%, and was noticeably characterized by a perfection-oriented habit, enthusiastic character, conformity with other people, etc. Furthermore, the percentage of patients who were diagnosed with a "depression-related personality" comprised only 59% of the "overworked group", in which a heavy workload was evident in the workplace-associated group. In the workplace-associated group, the percentage of cases involving managerial workers was significantly high; their rate as initial cases was significantly high, as well the proportion of favorable outcomes. In the workplace-associated group, the percentage of patients who showed unambiguous depression at the initial stage was significantly low. Likewise, a similar result was obtained in the overworked group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Workplace-associated mood disorder today tends to have a stress-related aspect, or aspect of adjustment disorder. There was a period in many cases during which the main symptoms were insomnia, headache, panic attack, etc., prior to the onset of unambiguous depression in the workplace-associated mood disorder group. In depression associated with workplace-associated mood disorder, there are two pathological stages. The stage of adjustment disorder is the period in which such conditions are the main symptoms, and a serious or moderate stage of major depressive disorder is the period after full-scale depression develops in the wake of the former stage. What contributes to protection against depression are a proper diagnosis of depression whose pathological condition is at an early adjustment disorder stage and appropriate therapeutic measures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Jichi Medical University.
authors.forename: Tsubasa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Okazaki
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kato
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D009784:Occupational Diseases; D010551:Personality; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications; D017132:Workplace