Concretization of Symptomatic Signs Leading to Sick Leave Due to Depression

Abstract

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to extract the symptomatic states felt by absentees due to depression before leaving work from medical records, and to clarify the early warning signs of sickness absence.

METHODS: The subjects were 30 individuals who participated in a reinstatement support program at a psychiatric institution and returned to work. Using the subjects’ medical records and program activity records, words related to symptomatic states felt before taking leave were extracted. The extracted words were categorized into similar expressions according to the content analysis method. For the largest classification unit, the ratio to the whole was calculated.

RESULTS: A total of 911 words were extracted. Symptomatic states that occurred before the absence from work include “mood and arousal” (33.8%), “physical” (20.1%), “behavioral” (12.8%), “job performance” (10.5%), “cognitive” (9.1%), “self-distress” (7.6%), “environment and surroundings of the stressor” (5.7%) and “denial of symptoms” (0.1%).

CONCLUSIONS: The specific symptomatic states that could be interfered from mental health problems of the individuals were clear. It is possible to create observational perspectives where people around those experiencing symptomatic states can lightly intervene in the workplace.