Doctor makes difference in work return

TORONTO, July 22 (UPI) -- People on short-term disability due to mental illness return to work sooner if their family doctor is involved in treatment, Canadian researchers found.

Study author Dr. Carolyn Dewa of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health said when family physicians work collaboratively with specialists, the result seems to benefit both the employee and the employer.

Individuals on short-term disability are more likely to avoid transitioning to long-term disability, and to have a shorter disability leave, while employers see a cost savings in disability payments.

It is estimated about 10 percent of the working population is diagnosed with depression, anxiety or other mental illness each year, Dewa said.

"One of the barriers to effective mental health treatment is the fragmentation that often exists between different types of healthcare providers," Dewa said in a statement. "When people are in distress it is appropriate to go to their family doctor. Family physicians may refer their patients to specialists, but they are not necessarily partnering with the mental health professional."

The demonstration study, published in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, found 85 percent of participants treated in a collaborative-care team were able to return to work, compared to 63 percent who received standard care. Seven percent of those receiving collaborative care transitioned to long-term disability, compared to 31 percent treated by family physicians alone.