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Schizophrenia and Employment: Evaluation From Professionals Point of View

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Abstract

Schizophrenia is a severe and chronic disorder requiring long-lasting and comprehensive treatment. Because of this disorder patients are socially isolated. Consequently, schizophrenia has a significant economic burden both in a group of direct and indirect costs. The aim was to analyse experts’ opinions in the field of psychiatry concerning work possibilities among people with schizophrenia and to present the importance of employment for more effective treatment. A worldwide study was conducted between June 2011 and June 2013 using a questionnaire consisting of six open-closed questions and a short metrics. The questionnaire was delivered to experts and spread all over the world by post and via the internet. Over 3000 questionnaires were sent and the addressed specialists were requested to return them. From received 403 questionnaires 320 were included into the study, based on adopted inclusion and exclusion criteria. Although patients are afraid of looking for a job, respondents indicated that they crave for employment. The number of people that are able to work during remission of schizophrenia is considerably higher (50.35 %) than the number of actually employed (15.85 %). Non-pharmacological therapies were indicated as important to improve patients′ chances of finding a job during remission of schizophrenia. The number of people that can work during remission of schizophrenia is considerably higher than the number of affected people employed. Patients crave for a job and supported employment should be treated as priority by health-care decision makers.

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Acknowledgments

We thank several non-profit organizations, but especially Makshivim, EUFAMI (European Federation of Associations of Families of People with Mental Illness) and Pomost, who kindly helped us in collecting the questionnaires.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacoeconomics and Social Pharmacy, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 79 Dąbrowskiego Street, 60529, Poznań, Poland

    Tomasz Zaprutko, Krzysztof Kus & Elżbieta Nowakowska

  2. Department of Psychiatry, Psychology and Sexology, Lviv National Medical University, 95 Kulparkivska Street, 79021, Lviv, Ukraine

    Rostyslav Bilobryvka & Lyudmyla Rakhman

  3. Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, 147 Niemannsweg Street, 24105, Kiel, Germany

    Robert Göder

  4. Department of Computer Sciences and Statistics, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 79 Dąbrowskiego Street, 60529, Poznań, Poland

    Michał Michalak

  5. Department of Adult Psychiatry, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 27 Szpitalna Street, 60572, Poznań, Poland

    Andrzej Pogłodziński

Authors
  1. Tomasz Zaprutko
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  2. Krzysztof Kus
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  3. Rostyslav Bilobryvka
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  4. Lyudmyla Rakhman
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  5. Robert Göder
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  6. Michał Michalak
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  7. Andrzej Pogłodziński
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  8. Elżbieta Nowakowska
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Correspondence to Tomasz Zaprutko.

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Zaprutko, T., Kus, K., Bilobryvka, R. et al. Schizophrenia and Employment: Evaluation From Professionals Point of View. Psychiatr Q 86, 569–579 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11126-015-9354-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11126-015-9354-6

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