According to a survey conducted by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the number of patients with depression has increased approximately 2.5-times from that in 2000. Moreover, many working patients with depression take sick leave in Japan. Accordingly, resumption or rework programs have been started nationwide in Japan. However, even if they resume work, the rate of sick leave is high. It is therefore important for psychiatrists to consider the period of sick leave provided by each company in Japan. The patients ideally need to improve their depressive state and prepare to resume work during that period. However, approximately 30% of patients have treatment-resistant depression, which prolongs their depressive state. In such cases, the period of sick leave ends while the patients continue to be in a prolonged depressive state. Although there is little evidence for such cases, the success rate of resumption programs needs to be increased by collecting information at the beginning of the sick leave period, cooperating with occupational health physicians, and restoring the sleep-wake rhythm of patients.
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