title: What inhibits working women with mental disorders from returning to their workplace?-A study of systematic re-employment support in a medical institution.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It has been customary for working women in Japan to retire when they marry and to devote themselves to household work as well as having children. However, according to a report published by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications in 2013, the number of working women has increased consistently. As more women are advancing into society, they have more options with respect to lifestyle but may encounter new psychological burdens. Therefore, we reviewed trends among participants in a re-work day care program (hereinafter referred to as "re-work program") to clarify various problems encountered by working women and the prevalence of mental disorders.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 454 participants (352 males, mean age 46.5 ± 9.4 years; 102 females, mean age 39.8 ± 9.4 years) who participated in our re-work program were included in this study. We reviewed their basic characteristics: life background, clinical diagnoses, outcomes after use of the re-work program, and reasons for failing to return to the workplace or start working where applicable.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The number of female participants was small and accounted for less than one fourth of all participants. As many as 67.3 % of the males succeeded in returning to the workplace, but only 48.0 % of the females were successful. The most common reason for failing to return to the workplace in both sexes was the exacerbation of symptoms; among females, other reasons, such as pregnancy, marriage, and family circumstances, were observed occasionally, but these reasons were not reported by the males.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found that female-specific problems were not the only issue, but rather work-life balance, relationships in the workplace, and gender differences in work roles could also trigger psychiatric disorders. A deeper understanding of the problems encountered by women in the workforce is important for the treatment of their psychiatric disorders. Therefore, it is considered essential for family members, co-workers, medical staff, and others to understand the various problems encountered by working women. Coping with these problems appropriately will aid in treating mental disorders and creating an environment suitable to prevent their development among women.
authors: Department of Neuropsychiatry, Sakura Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, Chiba, Japan.
authors: Karin
authors: 0000-0002-9211-9070
authors: K
authors: Hayashi
authors: Department of Neuropsychiatry, Sakura Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, Chiba, Japan.
authors: Yoichi
authors: Y
authors: Taira
authors: Department of Neuropsychiatry, Sakura Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, Chiba, Japan.
authors: Takamitsu
authors: T
authors: Maeda
authors: Department of Neuropsychiatry, Sakura Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, Chiba, Japan.
authors: Yumie
authors: Y
authors: Matsuda
authors: Department of Neuropsychiatry, Sakura Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, Chiba, Japan.
authors: Yuki
authors: Y
authors: Kato
authors: Department of Neuropsychiatry, Sakura Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, Chiba, Japan.
authors: Kozue
authors: K
authors: Hashi
authors: Department of Neuropsychiatry, Sakura Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, Chiba, Japan.
authors: Nobuo
authors: N
authors: Kuroki
authors: Department of Neuropsychiatry, Sakura Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, Chiba, Japan.
authors: Shuichi
authors: S
authors: Katsuragawa
keywords: Psychiatric disorder; Re-work program; Work-family conflict; Work-life balance; Working women