Treatment of Individuals Applying for Disability Pension Due to Depression
The goal of this study is to examine the implemented treatment and related factors as well as changes in the treatment of individuals who have applied for disability pension due to depression from Kela.
The main objective is to analyse the implementation of pharmacotherapy, rehabilitative psychotherapy, and other rehabilitation services provided by Kela prior to applying for disability pension. In addition, the study focuses on the changes in the treatment and rehabilitation of disability pension applicants over the past 10 years.
- The data comprises Kela’s register data on individuals with a main diagnosis of severe or reoccurring depression who submitted new applications for permanent or fixed-term disability pension during 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2019. The research period ends on 31 December 2019 because of the exceptional changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 that might have affected treatment. Data on the applicants’ background information, pension application decisions, employment status, primary and secondary diagnoses in the application, medicine purchases reimbursed by Kela from 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2019, dates of granted rehabilitation from Kela, and sickness allowance periods are also drawn from the registers.
Researcher
- Riitta Luoto, Leading Researcher
Project Implementation Period
1.8.2021–31.12.2024
Project Results
The majority (75%) of individuals who applied for disability pension from Kela in 2019 had not received any rehabilitation services from Kela in the year preceding their application. Rehabilitative psychotherapy was the most common form of rehabilitation for those who had received rehabilitation services as 14% of all individuals who applied for a disability pension in 2019 had received rehabilitative psychotherapy, while 19% of applicants had received it within the five years preceding their application. In terms of other rehabilitation services, 9% of applicants had received vocational rehabilitation in the preceding year and 17% in the past five years. 89% of all individuals who applied for disability pension in 2019 had received reimbursements for the purchase of antidepressants within the past year. However, only 80% had received reimbursements for antidepressant purchases in the preceding 4 months. In 2010–2019, the percentage of applicants who had received psychotherapy in the year preceding their application more than doubled from 6% to 14%. However, the percentage of applicants who had purchased medicines remained fairly stable and exhibited a statistically significant downward trend (margin of 86% to 90%). Among all population groups, women under 40 were the most common recipients of psychotherapy, while among men over the age of 40, the percentage of recipients was clearly lower.
Publications
- Medication and Rehabilitation of Persons Applying for Disability Pension Due to Depression: A Register-Based Retrospective Study From Finland (research article)
