A recent study by the University of Tampere found that 53 per cent of all disability pensions in Finland are granted due to mental health problems. An invalidity pension is a compensation for loss of earnings granted by the state to those who are unable to work due to illness, injury or disability.
Mood disorders, such as depression and bipolar disorder, account for two-thirds of disability pensions granted for mental health reasons, according to the study. Psychotic disorders, which include serious illnesses such as schizophrenia, are the second most common cause of retirement for mental health reasons.
They account for about one-sixth of disability pensions based on mental health problems. Last year, about 102,000 people in Finland received a disability pension due to a mental health or behavioral disorder.
Regional differences in disability pensions
The study In addition, the role of various factors influencing regional differences in disability pensions based on mental health problems in 2010โ2015 was investigated.
Of the mood disorders, retirement was highest in Pirkanmaa, Northern Savonia, Kainuu and Northern and Southern Ostrobothnia, while psychotic disorders were the most common reason for granting disability pensions in Pรคijรคt-Hรคme, North Karelia and North Ostrobothnia.
The study also looked at socio-economic disparities between regions, including employment rates and income disparities. Disability pensions based on mental health problems were relatively rare in hospital districts, such as the Helsinki and Uusimaa (HUS) and Vaasa hospital districts, where the employment rate is high and poverty relatively low.
However, the Pirkanmaa region, including Tampere, had a significant amount of disability pensions based on mental health problems, despite high employment and a low poverty rate.
"There are no clear socio-economic differences in Pirkanmaa compared to other hospital districts, which would explain [number of] invalidity pensions for mental health reasons," said Tino Karolaakso, a doctoral researcher and psychologist who participated in the study.
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Access to mental health services is key
However, the study found that Pirkanmaa had the lowest number of outpatient visits in relation to the population. Outpatient visits lower than the national average were associated with a higher risk of retirement at the regional level.
Outpatient care includes, for example, pre-arranged visits to a nurse, doctor or psychologist at a psychiatric outpatient clinic. The provision or absence of such mental health services could later explain regional differences in disability pension.
According to Karolaakso, these differences could be mitigated if officials developed a system that identifies the specific needs of each region in terms of mental health services.
"Promoting employment opportunities in the region and taking into account the needs of young people could also be important areas for development," he said.
Although the number of disability pensions granted to people aged 25โ64 has not increased significantly since 2000, Karolaakso emphasized that pensions granted on the basis of mental disorders for 16โ24-year-olds have risen sharply since the turn of the 21st century.
Source: The Nordic Page