Undertreatment Before the Award of a Disability Pension for Mental Illness: The HUNT Study

doi:10.1176/appi.ps.58.11.1479

Psychiatr Serv 58:1479-1482, November 2007
doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.58.11.1479
© 2007 American Psychiatric Association



	Full Text
	Full Text (PDF)
	Alert me when this article is cited
	Alert me if a correction is posted
	Citation Map



	Email this article to a Colleague
	Similar articles in this journal
	Similar articles in PubMed
	Alert me to new issues of the journal
	Add to My Articles & Searches
	Download to citation manager



	Citing Articles via Google Scholar



	Articles by Overland, S.
	Articles by Mykletun, A.
	Search for Related Content



	PubMed Citation
	Articles by Overland, S.
	Articles by Mykletun, A.



	Chronically Mentally Ill Patients
	Rural and Underserved Patients
	Health Policy and Legislation
	Other Health Services Issues
	Related Articles

Brief Report

Undertreatment Before the Award of a Disability Pension for Mental Illness: The HUNT Study

Simon Overland, Psy.D., Nicholas Glozier, M.D., Ph.D., Steinar Krokstad, M.D., Ph.D. and Arnstein Mykletun, Ph.D.

OBJECTIVE: Mental illnesses are consistently underrecognizedand undertreated, leading to underestimations of the societalburden of mental illness as a contributor to disability benefitexpenditures. This study examined the extent of undertreatmentbefore disability pensions for mental illness were awarded.METHODS: Norwegian National Insurance Administration data werelinked to data from the HUNT-2 study, a population-based healthsurvey, and 403 persons awarded a disability pension for mentalillness in the five years before the health survey were identified.The extent of help seeking for any mental illness before thepension was awarded was examined. RESULTS: Of the 403 adultswho were pensioned out of the workforce for a disability involvingmental illness, 128 (32%, 95% confidence interval=27%–36%)reported never having sought help for any mental health problem.CONCLUSIONS: Although self-report of receipt of treatment isa limitation of the study, the results suggest a potential forpreventing permanent work-related disability through improvedaccess to effective treatment.

Related Articles:

November 2007: This Month's Highlights
Psychiatr Serv 2007 58: 1395. [Full Text] [PDF]

Can SSDI and SSI Beneficiaries With Mental Illness Benefit From Evidence-Based Supported Employment?: Gary R. Bond, Haiyi Xie, and Robert E. Drake
Psychiatr Serv 2007 58: 1412-1420. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

A Multisite Study of Implementing Supported Employment in the Netherlands: Nicole H. J. van Erp, Femke B. M. Giesen, Jaap van Weeghel, Hans Kroon, Harry W. C. Michon, Deborah Becker, Gregory J. McHugo, and Robert E. Drake
Psychiatr Serv 2007 58: 1421-1426. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Time Between Schizophrenia Onset and First Request for Disability Status in France and Associated Patient Characteristics: Audrey Cougnard, Régis Goumilloux, Florence Monello, and Hélène Verdoux
Psychiatr Serv 2007 58: 1427-1432. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Characteristics of Representative Payeeship Involving Families of Beneficiaries With Psychiatric Disabilities: Eric B. Elbogen, Joelle C. Ferron, Marvin S. Swartz, Christine M. Wilder, Jeffrey W. Swanson, and H. Ryan Wagner
Psychiatr Serv 2007 58: 1433-1440. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Executive Function and Employment Status Among Veterans With Bipolar Disorder: Lori Altshuler, Janet Tekell, Kousick Biswas, Amy M. Kilbourne, Denise Evans, Dengfang Tang, and Mark S. Bauer
Psychiatr Serv 2007 58: 1441-1447. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Get information about faster international access.