1768 – Sick-leave due to psychiatric disorder among women

Introduction Women take sick-leave more often than men, in general and especially because of psychiatric disorders. Objective The aim of the present study was to describe and analyse sick-leave due to psychiatric morbidity and its relation to age and occupation, with a special focus on sex differences. Method We conducted a retrospective and descriptive study in external consultation of the psychiatric hospital Razi. We collected the records of patients seen between 01/07/2011 and 30/09/2012 and who received sick leave for psychiatric illness. Results 92 patients were included (78 female, 14 male) with mean age of 43,6 years. Sick-leave duration was longer for women. The greatest gender differences were found in the youngest and oldest age-groups. Women had higher incidence also in the longest spells (86% vs 14%). Depressive disorders were found among 73% of cases. Highest incidence of sick-leave was found among those with a combination of psychiatric and physical morbidity. Conclusion Psychiatric disorder is an important factor in sick-leave among women, especially regarding length of absence. Further studies on the influence of sex integration on sickness absence need to be done.