Prevalence and role of psychiatric disorders in disability
Common risk factors for the receipt of disability income (DI) are psychiatric diagnosis at the time of conscription, showing low personal responsibility and job satisfaction, unemployment after graduation, low rating on an "IQ" test, low educational level, part-time employment, isolation, separation, smoking, problem drinking, poor subjective state of health and well-being.
Psychiatric diagnoses are considered to be the main reason for disablity income in women and rank third in men. With average retirement age of 39 for males and 42 for females, schizophrenia is the most important single reason for early retirement before age 40. Major depresson has been shown to be the fourth leading cause of DI worldwide.
Personality disorders, which display primarily antisocial, histrionic, emotionally unstable and narcissistic behaviour (Cluster B personality disorders) have been associated with an earlier age of work disability, and borderline personality has been associated with failure to return to work. A dependent, schizoid, paranoid and antisocial personality tends to be associated with an increased risk of developing disability.
A subtype of adaptation disorder that is characterised primarily by lasting embitterment after exceptional life events, which violate basic beliefs, namely post-traumatic embitterment disorder, shows up highly the development of DI.
However, most of the patients applying for a DI have neither been sufficiently diagnosed nor received adequate psychiatric and/or psychotherapeutic treatment when they claim on their DI policy. Thus, the prognosis of the diseases listed above could well be improved at least for some patients depending on their disease (10-80 percent).
