Mattila-Holappa, Mental health and labour market participation among young adults

Mental disorders are the leading cause of work disability among young adults in Finland. Young adults' mental health disabilities have considerable consequences on the individual, societal, and financial level. Despite the increase in young adults' work disability due to mental disorders, little is known about this group of people or the measures that could help them return to the labour market. This study examines young adults who were granted temporary work disability pension due to mental disorders in Finland: their background, their clinical profile, the interventions targeted toward them, and their employment, over a period of five years. The results show that the most common diagnoses were depressive mood disorders, schizophrenia, schizotypal and delusional disorders, and mania or bipolar disorder. One out of five young adults was employed at the end of the five-year follow-up, while almost half of them were on full disability pension. A combination of psychotherapeutic and work-oriented interventions is likely to be beneficial for the future employment of young adults on disability pension.