Design and procedure
disorders and exhaustion disorders, panic disorders, anxiety, anxiety disorders, CMD, depression
DISORDERS
This study was designed as a prospective cohort study, using data obtained from two randomized controlled trials (RCT) in the Danish IBBIS project conducted between April 2016 and April 2018. In Danish, IBBIS is an acronym for “Integrated Health Care and Vocational Rehabilitation for Sick Leave Benefit Recipients”. The IBBIS project evaluated an integrated mental health care and vocational rehabilitation intervention for people on sick leave with depression, anxiety disorders or stress-related disorders. Trial participants were randomized to one of three intervention groups: (a) integrated vocational rehabilitation and mental health care; (b) mental health care alone and vocational rehabilitation as usual or (c) vocational rehabilitation and mental health care as usual. The primary outcome in both trials was time to RTW at 12 months (Hoff et al. Participants were referred from jobcenters in the four Danish municipalities participating in the project (Copenhagen, Lyngby-Taarbæk, Gladsaxe and Gentofte). In Denmark, municipal jobcenters deliver public employment services, including sick leave benefits. The case manager handling the sick leave case could refer citizens to the IBBIS project if the cause of sick leave was suspected mental health problems. Citizens on sick leave from employment and from unemployment could participate in the project. If the citizen consented to participate in the IBBIS project, he or she was invited for a mental health assessment to determine eligibility for the RCT. Prior to the mental health assessment, participants filled out an online self-report questionnaire covering symptoms, functioning and various psychological aspects (e.g. self-efficacy and quality of life) (Poulsen et al. A detailed description of the RCTs is published in two protocol papers (Poulsen et al. In this study, the CMD group is regarded as a single unit but also divided into three subgroups: (1) a stress group comprising distress, adjustment disorders and exhaustion disorders; (2) an anxiety group comprising panic disorders, general anxiety disorders and social anxiety disorders; and (3) a depression group comprising mild, moderate and severe depression.