The Best Practices for Managing Return to Work Following Mental Health Problems at Work

Mental health problems in the workplace currently represent a major cause of absence from work, and this phenomenon has grown markedly over the last two decades (Gabriel and Liimatainen, 2000; Vézina and Bourbonnais, 2001; Dewa et al., 2002; Henderson, Glozier and Elliott, 2005; Dewa, McDaid and Ettner, 2007; Houtman, 2007). Mental health problems can have particularly incapacitating effects resulting in long periods of disability (Koopsmans, Roelen and Groothoff, 2008), and involve a high risk of relapse (Conti and Burton, 1994; Druss, Schlesinger and Allen, 2001; Gjesdal and Bratberg, 2003; Nieuwenhuijsen et al., 2006; Koopmans, Roelen and Groothoff., 2008).