Estimating Impact Based on Stages of Mental Illness on Employment and Earnings in Bangkok Metropolitan Region.

DISCUSSION: The findings suggest that all stages of mental disorders, particularly chronic one, are associated with substantial individual- and societal-level burden, and highlight differences in employment and earnings gaps among individuals at each stage of illness. IMPLICATIONS FOR HEALTH CARE PROVISION AND USE: Mental health service should be provided in close coordination with vocational and welfare services in order to alleviate financial and work difficulties faced by mentally ill people at various stages of illness. IMPLICATIONS FOR HEALTH POLICIES: There is a need to tailor disability benefits and employment promotion schemes to the needs of mentally ill people at each stage in order to maximize their productivity and quality of life. IMPLICATIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH: Direct and other indirect costs of mental illness should be further investigated. Longitudinal studies would help to clarify how much of the reported association is due to mental illness causing unemployment and reduced earnings or vice versa. PMID: 30676993 [PubMed - in process]
Source: Journal of Mental Health Policy and Economics - Category: Psychiatry Tags: J Ment Health Policy Econ Source Type: research