Study Shows Metacognitive Therapy Accelerates Return to Work for Mental Health Patients

New Therapy Reduces Mental Health Sick Leave

A new treatment approach, combining metacognitive therapy with a focus on job integration, has demonstrated effectiveness in helping individuals with mental health challenges return to work sooner.

This method has the potential to generate societal savings approximately three times its cost by reducing the duration of sick leave.

Sick leave attributed to mental illness is increasingly prevalent in Norway, leading to significant personal burden and substantial economic costs. An estimated 9 million person-days of work are lost annually. Reducing this absenteeism responsibly offers considerable benefits for both affected individuals and the nation.

Study Findings

Research published in eClinicalMedicine, a journal from the Lancet family, details the efficacy of this combined treatment. Odin Hjemdal, a professor and specialist in psychology at NTNU's Department of Psychology, states that integrating metacognitive therapy with a job focus can expedite the return to work process.

In a study involving 236 individuals on sick leave due to mental health issues, 121 patients received the treatment promptly. This group demonstrated significant advantages compared to a control group that waited 10 weeks for the same treatment. The early treatment group resulted in approximately NOK 9.5 million in reduced sick leave costs.

Specifically, 42% of those receiving early treatment were back at work after 12 weeks, compared to 18% in the waiting list group.

Both groups achieved comparable results after completing the treatment.

Potential for Broader Impact

Norway has seen a substantial increase in sick leave due to mental disorders, from 223,000 individuals in 2017 to 327,000 in 2024, a nearly 47% rise. This trend highlights the potential for widespread benefits from effective treatments.

Understanding the Treatment

This therapeutic approach focuses on how individuals relate to their thoughts, rather than the content of the thoughts themselves. It addresses problematic patterns such as rumination, worry, and strategic attention focusing on danger, which often perpetuate mental disorders. The goal is to learn to observe thoughts and feelings without engaging in counterproductive regulation, allowing them to pass spontaneously.

Developed by Professor Adrian Wells, this short-term, structured therapy has shown effectiveness for anxiety and depression, with about 70% of patients recovering and a low relapse rate, compared to 50% recovery and high relapse rates in other treatments.

Integrated into the therapy, job focus emphasizes the importance of work for mental health. Therapists examine the patient's job situation, identify any need for workplace accommodations, and address obstacles to returning to work, such as workplace bullying. This component aims to facilitate a swift return to normal life by exploring factors preventing re-entry into employment and developing alternative strategies for workplace integration.

Specific Efficacy for Anxiety and Depression

This treatment shows particular promise for anxiety and depression, which are significant contributors to sick leave in Norway. Annually, sick leave related to anxiety and depression costs approximately NOK 71 billion in Norway alone. The treatment offers a means to help patients efficiently while also generating substantial economic savings.