Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine

Original Article

Mental Disorders and Fitness for Work in Korea: Choong Ryeol Lee, Yang ho Kim, Cheol In Yoo, Ji Ho Lee, Hun Lee; Korean Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2003;15(3):224-236. Published online September 30, 2003; DOI: https://doi.org/10.35371/kjoem.2003.15.3.224

OBJECTIVES
This study investigated the actual state of people with mental disorders in Korea, in order to present an alternative proposal for their work fitness and vocational rehabilitation.
METHODS
The authors conducted this study through a review of statistics on the prevalence of mental disorder, labor laws, and the literatures related with work fitness and vocational rehabilitation of people with mental disorders.
RESULTS
According to recent surveys, about 3 million people in Korea are likely to have mental disorders which could lead to discrimination in social life and dishonor in occupational career, either in the present or near future. Therefore, evaluation of work fitness and vocational rehabilitation for persons with mental disorders are important. At present, work fitness for psychiatric patients is evaluated without suitable guidelines regarding the kinds and severity of mental disorders that impede work capacity. Furthermore, mental disorder-specific fitness for work is not under consideration.
CONCLUSION
It is true that most psychiatric patients have some limitation in performing their job. However, judging from the results of some research, proper displacement, apprehension of co-workers, and adjusted workplace could help them complete their tasks properly despite their troublesome psychiatric symptomatology. The government must help all citizens to do their best in their social life, and show a deep interest in the employment of all disabled people including those with psychiatric disorders. Above all we have to change our attitudes and preconceptions against people with mental disorders. Some labor laws, which presently impede employment of people with psychiatric disorders, need to be revised in their favor. Future work capacity evaluation should be done on the basis of ability to function in the workplace rather than symptomatology.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by

The Relations among Attitude, Competency, and Appropriateness of Work on Student Suicide in Health Teachers
Jae Soon Yoo, Dallong Han, Chul-Gyu Kim
The Journal of Korean Academic Society of Nursing Education.2016; 22(4): 473. CrossRef
The Stigma of Mental Illness in Korea
Jong-Ik Park, Mina Jeon
Journal of Korean Neuropsychiatric Association.2016; 55(4): 299. CrossRef
Employment Discrimination Against Schizophrenia
Mary V. Seeman
Psychiatric Quarterly.2009; 80(1): 9. CrossRef

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