Sickness Allowances Due to Anxiety Disorders on a Steep Rise – an Examination of Prevalence According to Specific Diagnostic Codes in Finland 2010–2024

Sickness allowance spells due to mental disorders have increased significantly in recent years in Finland. Especially the increase in spells due to anxiety disorders has gained wide interest and concern. We aim to contribute to the understanding of this phenomenon by examining the prevalence of sickness allowance due to different anxiety disorders between 2010 and 2024.

Yearly prevalences of sickness allowance due to different anxiety disorders among 18-67-year-old persons were examined in 2010–2024 using register data of Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela).

The steep increase in sickness absences due to anxiety disorders happened especially in the ICD-10 diagnosis F41 - Other anxiety disorders and especially in the diagnostic code 41.2 - Mixed anxiety and depressive disorder.

There may be various factors contributing to the increase in Mixed anxiety and depressive disorder. A professional guideline introduced in 2019, physicians’ willingness to serve the patient in the most appropriate way, high intensity in physicians' daily work, and anxiety-inducing global trends may all contribute to the observed trend.

Full text (in Finnish) (journal.fi)

Authors

Riku Perhoniemi, Jenni Blomgren, Riitta Luoto

Additional Information

• Peer-Reviewed: no.
• Open Access: yes.
• Cite as: Perhoniemi, R., Blomgren, J., & Luoto, R. (2026). Ahdistuneisuushäiriöt yleistyneet sairauspäivärahan perusteena – trenditarkastelu tarkemman diagnoosin mukaan 2010–2024. Sosiaalilääketieteellinen Aikakauslehti, 63(1), 256–261. https://doi.org/10.23990/sa.177646