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This page is an AI-assisted Turkish summary of the study presented at the 26th World Congress of Psychiatry. The study belongs to the presenting authors; please refer to the original source when citing it.

EV0484

Schizophrenia and fitness for work: challenges and opportunities in occupational integration

SCHIZOPHRENIA AND WORK ABILITY: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN OCCUPATIONAL INTEGRATION

The occupational integration of employees with schizophrenia depends not only on clinical stability but also on the balance between treatment adherence, functional capacity, job demands, and individualized workplace accommodations.

The aim of the study was to describe three employees with schizophrenia referred for fitness-for-work assessment and to identify the clinical and occupational factors affecting their fitness for work and workplace integration. Designed as a descriptive case series, the study jointly evaluated medical and psychiatric history, treatment adherence, functional and behavioral assessments, an analysis of job tasks and workplace exposures, and the treating psychiatrist’s opinion on clinical stability. A 44-year-old heavy equipment operator who developed schizophrenia after witnessing a fatal workplace accident was deemed unfit for high-risk duties despite clinical stability because of trauma-related anxiety, intrusive memories, and psychomotor slowing, but was considered suitable for reassignment to low-risk duties. A 30-year-old school cleaner with longstanding schizophrenia treated with a depot antipsychotic demonstrated good functioning; however, because of the unpredictability of potential psychotic exacerbations, the employee was restricted from duties requiring direct contact with children or the public and was deemed fit for simple support and back-office tasks. A 37-year-old administrative employee with comorbid epilepsy and active persecutory delusions was deemed temporarily unfit for work because of limited insight, inconsistent treatment adherence, and ongoing psychotic symptoms, pending clinical stabilization through collaboration between psychiatry and neurology. The authors emphasize the importance of treatment adherence, management of trauma-related triggers, individualized workplace accommodations, and collaboration among psychiatrists, neurologists, and occupational physicians; they also highlight the need for public education to reduce stigma, policy reforms, and evidence-based vocational rehabilitation programs.

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