Background. Undetected Common Mental Disorders (CMDs) amongst people on sick leave complicate rehabilitation and return to work because appropriate treatments are not initiated. Aims. The aim of this study is to estimate (1) the frequencies of CMD, (2) the predictors of undetected CMD, and (3) the rate of return to work among sick listed individuals without a psychiatric disorder, who are registered on long-term sickness absence (LSA). Methods. A total of 2,414 incident individuals on LSA with a response rate of 46.4%, were identified for a two-phase study. The subsample of this study involved individuals registered on LSA who were sick-listed without a psychiatric sick leave diagnosis. In this respect, Phase 1 included 831 individuals, who were screened for mental disorders. In Phase 2, following the screening of Phase 1, 227 individuals were thoroughly examined by a psychiatrist applying Present State Examination. The analyses of the study were carried out based on the 227 individuals from Phase 2 and, subsequently, weighted to be representative of the 831 individuals in Phase 1. Results. The frequencies of undetected mental disorders among all sick-listed individuals were for any psychiatric diagnosis 21%, depression 14%, anxiety 4%, and somatoform disorder 6%. Conclusions. Undetected CMD may delay the initiation of appropriate treatment and complicate the rehabilitation and return to work. 1. Background Common Mental Disorders (CMDs) impose suffering on and reduce quality of life of the individuals. They also place economic burdens on society, primarily due to indirect costs in regards to sickness absence, early retirement, and early death [1, 2]. In addition, depressive disorders significantly influence the outcome of comorbid medical illnesses such as cardiac diseases, diabetes, and cancer [3]. Furthermore, the emergence of a depression in an individual is likely to cause family dysfunction and risks of mental and physical illnesses among family members as well [4]. The burden of CMD may be even heavier than estimated in previous studies of this kind because CMDs are overlooked. This has been documented in primary care [5–12], in work places [13], in granting of disability pension [14], and among patient populations such as patients with, for example, chronic musculoskeletal pain [15], and in writing sick leave certificates [16–18]. Undetected mental disorders in primary care and sick leave certificates apply to the present study because the study is based on sickness absence and because sick leave certificates for the most part are certified in
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