Some employers are concerned about returning employees with mental health disorders to the workplace.

Patients with bipolar disorder can have significant mental health problems and may require admission to hospital.

This study sought to understand whether patients who were admitted to hospital had a greater level of disability than those who had not been admitted to hospital.

Despite differences in the severity of their condition, bipolar disorder patients from acute psychiatric wards and outpatient clinics were found to have similar educational and disability levels compared to the general population.

The researchers studied two different groups of patients with bipolar disorder. The first group had been admitted to hospital - suggesting that they had a significant level of problems because of their bipolar disorder. The second group were being seen in the outpatient clinics.

The patients who had been admitted to hospital had more severe bipolar disorder, more hospitalisations, and a greater number of suicide attempts, and were on a greater number of medications than the outpatient group.

Despite there being a significant difference in the clinical condition between the groups, there was no difference in the level of disability benefits being received by the people in each group. Further, there was no difference in terms of the educational achievement between the two groups.

The researchers concluded that factors other than the severity of their bipolar disorder were influencing their educational studies and their level of disability. This could be factors such as their family’s approach, workplace attitudes, their level of motivation to be in the workplace, etc.
 

Authors

Schoeyen HK, Vaaler AE, Auestad BH, Malt UF, Melle I, Andreassen OA, Morken G.

Institution

Moodnet Research Group, Psychiatric Division, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway.

Title

Despite clinical differences, bipolar disorder patients from acute wards and outpatient clinics have similar educational and disability levels compared to the general population.

Source

J Affect Disord. 2011 Jul;132(1-2):209-15. Epub 2011 Mar 25.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

The aims of this study were to compare clinical characteristics and educational and occupational functioning in two Bipolar Disorder (BD) samples recruited respectively from acutely admitted inpatients and public outpatient clinics and to investigate if the two BD samples differed in the same way in education and work ability from the general population.

METHODS:

DSM-IV BD patients were consecutively recruited from acute wards throughout Norway (N=252; 69.8% BD I; 25.0% BD II; 5.2% BD NOS) and from outpatient clinics in the Oslo region (N=230; 60.4% BD I; 33.5% BD II; 6.1% BD NOS) and demographic and clinical characteristics were compared. A reference sample from the general population (N=100 869) was used to compare levels of education, marital status and disability benefits.

RESULTS:

The acute ward sample was older, and had more men, more BD I disorder, more hospitalisations and suicide attempts, longer illness duration, an earlier age of onset and first treatment and used a higher number of antipsychotics, anticonvulsants and lithium than the outpatient sample. Both samples were educated to the same level as their respective reference populations, but received disability benefit and were single to a higher but similar degree.

CONCLUSIONS:

Clinical differences between the BD samples had no consequence for educational achievement and receipt of disability benefit compared to the general population indicating that other factors than severity of illness play a role for education and work abilities in BD patients.

PubMed Link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21440307