Assessment of occupational impairment and disability from depression

Examination of the relationship of impairment to disability in the work psychiatry context and identification of practical strategies for occupational physicians to apply to screening, management, and appropriate referral.

Medical literature review.

The determination and differentiation of impairment and disability is a complex psychiatric task which requires consideration of the type of employment, assessment of depression-related functional impairments that can create disability for a particular occupation, and individual factors.

The authors propose a new and more consistent strategy for identifying impairment severity and its impact on employment, including simple procedures to screen for depression and guidelines to minimize role and boundary confusion.