Return to Work in Depression and Anxiety

Abstract

Depressive, Anxiety, Posttraumatic, and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders can cause significant impairment in work functioning as well as employment status. Promising interventions packages targeting return to work for these disorders have been developed and tested. In this chapter, we describe some of these existing interventions. In order to provide some context, we begin first with a brief description of mood and anxiety disorders, their impact on work functioning and a summary of optimal treatment for these disorders. Next, we review several return to work interventions specific to mood and anxiety and related mental disorders. We outline their key elements and available data on their effectiveness. Subsequently, we identify common treatment foci of these interventions and how these may inform current practice. Finally, we outline limitations in this research in order to highlight areas for future development.