title: Work and everyday activities: experiences from two interventions addressing people with common mental disorders.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Lengthy sick leave makes demands on work ability enhancing interventions in primary health care. Problem-based method (PBM) and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) are interventions aimed at people with common mental disorders. This study aimed to describe how individuals experienced interventions and the impact the interventions had on the individuals' ability to work and perform other everyday activities.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fourteen women and two men, eight each from two interventions, were interviewed. The interviews were analysed using qualitative content analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The analysis revealed one overarching theme: "Reaching safe ground or continuing to seek help". Four categories were identified: "From being passive to making one's own efforts in the rehabilitation process", "Being stuck on a treadmill or daring to change", "Evolving from routine to more aware behaviour", and "Fitting in or not fitting in with workplace situations".
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  According to the participants, experiences from both PBM and CBT had a positive impact on their ability to work and perform other everyday activities in a more sustainable way. Reflecting on behaviour and achieving limiting strategies were perceived as helpful in both interventions, although varying abilities to incorporate strategies were described. In general, the results support the use of active coping-developing interventions rather than passive treatments.
authors.affiliation: Nyckeln Competence Centre for Pedagogic in Healthcare, Kalmar County Hospital , Kalmar , Sweden.
authors.forename: Inger
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Jansson
authors.forename: Kent-Inge
authors.initials: KI
authors.lastname: Perseius
authors.forename: Anna Birgitta
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Gunnarsson
authors.forename: Anita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Björklund
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D001364:Awareness; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D008875:Middle Aged; D018794:Problem-Based Learning; D036301:Qualitative Research; D062707:Return to Work; D014937:Work; D016526:Workload
keywords: Anxiety; Swedish rehabilitation guarantee; cognitive behavioural therapy; depression; interview; problem-based method; qualitative content analysis; sick leave; stress; vocational rehabilitation