Use of psychotropic drugs among workers on leave due to mental disorders

OBJECTIVE: To describe the use of psychotropic drugs among civil servants with registered absenteeism due to mental disorders, and to investigate associations with duration of leave of absence. METHODS: A cross-sectional study with civil servants on leave of absence due to mental disorders, between January and December 2017. Demographic, occupational and clinical variables were extracted from secondary data. Non-parametric tests were used to investigate correlations between use of psychotropic drugs and leave duration. Cluster analysis was used to investigate associations between occupational characteristics and illness profile. RESULTS: Antidepressants were the most commonly used drugs (82.9%). Central tendency values for days on leave differed according to the number of psychotropic drugs used. In cluster analysis, a particular cluster (servants of intermediate age group and work experience – mean of 46 years and 15 years, respectively) stood out regarding use of antidepressants, severity of depression and frequency and duration of leave of absence. CONCLUSION: Leave of absence due to mental disorders was associated with higher rates of psychotropic drug use. The group of servants identified in this study may be a primary target for health promotion, prevention and recovery actions at the organization.