title: [Mental disorders related to persistent negative working conditions].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Mental disorders are common in our industrialised society and inevitably affect the working population. Over the last few years greater attention has been focussed on work-related psychopathologies due to an increasing number of studies regarding workplace bullying.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study reports our observations on patients with mental disorders who came to our Occupational Health Centre because they perceived themselves to be victims of negative working conditions. An indepth analysis of their working conditions led us to the conclusion that many of these disorders were to be attributed to the workplace.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between 2004 and 2010, 449 workers attended our Occupational Health Centre, most suffering from mental disorders which they ascribed to negative working conditions. All patients had an initial consultation session with an occupational physician which focused on the environmental and relational characteristics of their place of work. Thereafter, patients underwent a second clinical evaluation with a psychologist including several psychological tests. At the end of diagnostic process, the occupational physician and the clinical psychologist drew their clinical conclusions and defined the possible relationship with the working condition.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For 379 out of 449 patients/workers, a positive and causal relationship between medical disorders and working conditions was established. The mental disorders observed in these groups of workers were: mixed anxiety and depressive disorder (53.6%), depressive disorder (16.2%), adaptation disorder (15.9%), anxiety disorder (13%) and only 1.3% post-traumatic stress disorder. The working conditions favouring the mental disorders were: workplace bullying, such as person-related bullying (30.1%) and task-related bullying (14.8%), adverse situations causing work distress (38.2%) or non-specific work discomfort (16,9%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our experience showed that not only workplace bullying can cause different psychiatric disorders but also adverse situations that favour work distress and non-specific work discomfort often give raise to the same disorders. Negative working conditions can play a significant role in the development of psychological-psychiatric disorders: such disorders related to occupational conditions are on the increase in many industrialised countries.
authors: Centro per l'analisi dei rischi e delle patologie psico-sociali di origine lavorativa dell'Università degli Studi di Verona, Servizio di Medicina del Lavoro, Verona. luigi.perbellini@univr.it
authors: L
authors: L
authors: Perbellini
authors: Silvia
authors: S
authors: Tisato
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Quintarelli
authors: Ponte Silvia
authors: PS
authors: Dal
authors: Luisa
authors: L
authors: Pelizza
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Riolfi
authors: Cristina
authors: C
authors: Zonzin
authors: L
authors: L
authors: Romeo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D058445:Bullying / Q000523:psychology*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D005790:General Adaptation Syndrome / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007558:Italy; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011581:Psychological Tests; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000209:etiology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology*; D017132:Workplace / Q000523:psychology*