Work, social, and family disabilities of subjects with anxiety and depression

Background. Functional impairment scales are increasingly used to evaluate subjects with a variety of mental disorders. Methods. We evaluated the work, social, and family disabilities of 228 subjects with 6 common anxiety and depressive disorders, as assessed by the Sheehan Disability Scale (major depression, panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, social phobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and mixed anxiety and depression). Results. Subjects in the 6 diagnostic groups had significantly higher work, social, and family disability scores than control subjects, with the exception of the social phobia and panic disorder subjects' scores for family disability. Those with depressive disorders tended to have significantly higher family disability scores than the anxiety disorder subjects. Conclusion. Subjects with both anxiety and depressive disorders from primary care clinics and from chronic psychiatric and medical populations need further evaluation and treatment of the disabilities to decrease the personal, family, and economic burdens of these disorders.