Norwegian, Australian and U.K. researchers find, in a study of 13,436 community members, linked with official records of sickness absence from work (SA), that although common mental disorders (CMD) “are long-lasting predictors of onset, duration and recurrence of SA, anxiety appears to be a more important contributor to long-term SA than previously described in the literature.” There was a general trend toward the effect of CMD on SA diminishing over time, and depression alone was not a significant risk factor for SA. Results appeared online in Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica on July 7, 2012.
Knudsen, A.K., Harvey, S.B., Mykletun, A., Overland, S.; “Common mental disorders and long-term sickness absence in a general working population. The Hordaland Health Study.” Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, online July 7 2012
