Occupational psychiatry is a subspecialty of general psychiatry that focuses on the relationship between mental health and work. It addresses work environments, relationships, and feelings about work. The most common mental health problems are caused by work-related stress or injury. Occupational psychiatry is part of a two-pronged approach to workplace mental health, including organizational psychiatry. Organizations typically contract occupational psychiatrists to provide services such as assessing an individual’s fitness for duty or diagnosing a work-related mental disability.
As a medical specialty, general psychiatry is the study of human mental health and disorders of the mind. Occupational psychiatry is a subspecialty of general psychiatry, specifically addressing the relationship between human mental health and working for a living. The primary focus is on how work environments, work relationships, and a person’s feelings about their occupation affect an individual’s mental health. The main objective of occupational psychiatry is to help individuals and organizations optimize daily functions in the workplace by understanding the importance that work has in individual life and in society.
The mental health problems most commonly faced by occupational psychiatrists are problems caused by work-related stress or injury. Both stress and injuries from work-related events can lead to depression, anxiety, PTSD, and other conditions. While stress and injury are not the sole focus of occupational psychiatry, these are the two most common areas of concern. When an employee is stressed due to workplace events, productivity decreases, the employee’s personal life suffers, and as a result, the organization suffers. Similarly, workplace injuries, including emotional damage, can create a variety of problems, both personal and professional.
The inclusion of occupational psychiatry in general worker care, as well as organizational decision-making, began during the early part of the 20th century. Initially, the concept was designed to help organizations motivate workers and increase productivity. Companies have hired psychiatrists specifically to help understand the mindset of the average worker in relation to job performance. Gradually, the practice evolved to include employee assistance programs, treatment for work-related mental health problems, and other employee-focused care outside of company-sponsored initiatives.
In terms of focus, modern occupational psychiatry is part of a two-pronged approach to workplace mental health, which includes both organizational and occupational psychiatry. Organizational psychiatry focuses on the overall mental health of an organization, including workplace culture, morale, and similar factors. Alternatively, occupational psychiatry focuses on the individual’s mental health as it relates to career choices, work environments, and professional relationships. To put it in simple terms, organizational psychiatry focuses on the whole organization, while occupational psychiatry focuses on the individual.
Although occupational psychiatry focuses on the individual and their relationship to work, organizations are typically contracted to provide or request such services. For example, an employer might require an employee to consult an occupational psychiatrist to assess the individual’s fitness for duty. Such ratings are common in professions such as law enforcement, military service, and first responders. Other organizations, such as government agencies, may require evaluations by an occupational psychiatrist to diagnose a work-related mental disability or to assess an individual’s cognitive abilities regarding work.
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