Dr Maurice Lipsedge - Faculty of Occupational Medicine

• Faculty of Occupational Medicine
• Annual Scientific Meeting 2013
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• Mental health problems in the workplace and
the role of the psychiatrist
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• Dr Maurice Lipsedge
• MPhil FRCP FRPCsych FFOM (Hon)
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• Keats House
• 24-26 St Thomas Street
• London
• SE1 9RS

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• A typical referral letter from an Occupational
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• Physician to a psychiatrist:
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• Diagnosis
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• Causation, including work-related factors
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• Prognosis for return to work
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• Any risk to the employee or their colleagues
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• Fitness to attend a disciplinary hearing
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• Any workplace adjustments
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• The word “depression” refers to a variety of
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• states of unhappiness and misery including:
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• Demoralisation
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• Frustration
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• Feeling very worried
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• Disappointment
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• Disillusionment
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‘The number one predictive factor regarding a
return to work and career was whether the officer wanted to,
which no psychiatric formulation captures’ Derek Summerfield

• ‘ In the final analysis it may not be possible for
clinicians or academics to reduce psychiatric
disorder if its origins are in the workplace. Our
circumspection is unlikely to be attrictve to
personnel departments seekin quik solution
for complex problems. In the current shorttermism,
companies have limited incentives to
become involved in the evaluation if
interventions. We can only hope for change’
Hotopf & Wesselly 2008