An approach to understanding By C. Donald Williams, MD, CGP Yakima, WA Introduction Disability within a psychiatric context, for the purpose of this essay, will be narrowly defined as the inability to perform one or more of an individual's usual life activities such that the individual can no longer function in the workplace. Effective treatment requires accurate diagnosis and assessment. We will focus on the evaluation of an individual's ability to work following injury or illness. It is useful to make a distinction between disabilities and impairments.
Impairments are the cognitive and affective abnormalities associated with psychiatric disorders.
Disabilities are the restrictions that are imposed by impairments in function, including work and relationships. While many people are injured or become ill at work, only a small proportion of those go on to become permanently disabled. The meaning of the disability to the individual can influence its severity and the individual's adaptation to it. In turn, a number of factors help determine the meaning of the disability to the individual. These factors provide a context for the injury or illness, define its consequences, and provide support for either recovery or chronicity.