EPV1233 - Psychiatric Illnesses as a Cause of Early Retirement

EPV1233

Psychiatric Illnesses as a Cause of Early Retirement

W. Ayed ¹, G. BAHRI ¹, Y. YAICH ^2,*, G. AMRI ², K. GRISSA ¹, Y. TEBOURBI ¹, S. CHEMINGUI ¹, D. BRAHIM ¹, M. BANI ¹, R. GHACHEM ², N. LADHARI ¹

¹Occupational Medicine Department , Charles Nicolle Hospital , Tunis , ²Department B , Razi hospital , Mannouba, Tunisia

 

Introduction: Psychiatric disorders can be severely disabling, limiting daily activities, professional functioning, and long-term work participation

Objectives: The aim of the study was to identify the socio-professional characteristics of patients granted disability benefits or early retirement due to premature wear and tear on the body caused by psychiatric disorders.

Methods:  A descriptive, retrospective study was conducted on medical records of patients who were referred to the occupational health department at Charles Nicolle University hospital in Tunis for early retirement between 1 January 2017 and 31 March 2025.

Results: Of 146 applications for early retirement, 31% (n=27) were related to psychiatric disorders. The mean age was 54±3 years with a predominance of women (56%). The mean professionnal seniority was 24 ± 7 years. The most represented occupational sectors were health (37%) and textiles (18%). The most represented occupations were manual labourers (52%). The psychiatric disorders observed were: anxiety-depression disorders (80%) and schizophrenia (20%). Early retirement was granted due to premature wear and tear on the body in 85% of cases and disability in 15% of cases.

Conclusions: Our study indicates that psychiatric disorders represent a major cause of early withdrawal from the working life, highlighting the need for improved prevention strategies and workplace accommodations to help patients manage and live with their condition

 

Disclosure of Interest: None Declared