An overview of organizational and occupational psychiatry

Although many clinicians agree in principle that work is central to personal identity and mental health, issues related to patients' experiences in the workplace have not been a central focus in clinical practice in psychiatry. However, the link between work and mental health continues to be confirmed by research, and interest in occupational and organizational psychiatry, which focuses on the psychopathology that the individual brings to the workplace and that results from the individual's experiences in the workplace, has increased in the past decade. The three main areas of practice in the field--direct clinical services, consultation, and applied research--include evaluating work-related psychiatric disability, providing case management for employees who receive psychiatric treatment, evaluating a candidate for an executive position, and conducting epidemiological research about stress-related disorders. A patient's occupational or work history can provide valuable information for routine psychiatric diagnosis and treatment planning.