Objective: The specific effectiveness of psychiatric rehabilitation has been confirmed in numerous studies. Of particular interest is to what extend different results can be observed regarding the occupational status and type of mental illness of patients. Unemployment at the start of treatment is generally deemed to be a disadvantage for treatment outcome. Weaker treatment effects have also been reported for some types of mental illnesses, such as pain- und somatoform disorders.
Methods: Results from the evaluation of a sample of 2260 patients form the psychiatric rehabilitation clinic Gars am Kamp were analyzed, with regard to the occupational status and type of mental illness of patients. Changes in general symptom severity, quality of life and functioning were assessed.
Results: Regarding the occupational status, overall unemployed patients suffered from higher degrees of global symptom severity and the lower levels of global quality of life compared to employed and retired patients. However, improvements in the course of rehabilitative treatment could be observed regardless of the occupational status of patients. Regarding the type of mental illness, overall patients with burnout (Z73.0) reported the lowest levels of global symptom severity and highest degree of global quality of life. In comparison patients with somatoform disorders (F45) showed the lowest degree of global quality of life. However, positive treatment effects regarding general symptom severity and health related quality of life could be observed regardless of the type of mental illness (diagnosis) of patients. In respect to the improvement of global functioning small differences in absolute treatment effects were detected depending on the type of diagnosis of patients. However, relative treatment effects in respect to global functioning were comparable for all types of diagnosis.
Conclusions: Improvements in the course of rehabilitative treatment regarding general symptom severity, quality of life and global functioning can be obtained independent of occupational status and type of mental illness of patients.
Keywords: Employment; Occupational status; Psychiatric Rehabilitation; Type of diagnosis; Type of diseases.