Treatment-Induced Work Time Reduction
Depression treatment is widely expected to increase labor market participation, but standalone clinical interventions can inadvertently reduce active labor supply during active treatment. Medical appointments and medication adjustment periods may temporarily disrupt low-income individuals' weekly work routines.
Picture this
When someone starts taking new medication and visiting doctors regularly, the side effects and time spent at health appointments act like taking temporary leave from work, reducing available weekly working hours rather than immediately boosting labor output.
What the evidence says
Participants in the standalone Psychiatric Care group reduced work time by 5.4 hours per week (a 10 percent decrease) during the intervention, with no statistically significant increase in overall earnings.
- Who
- N = 207 adults in Psychiatric Care group (part of N = 1,000 adults, 86 percent women) across 506 peri-urban villages near Bangalore, India.
- How
- Randomized controlled trial measuring weekly work hours and total earnings across five survey rounds between 2016 and 2018 up to 26 months post-recruitment.
What to do
Schedule clinical follow-up appointments and medication monitoring sessions during non-working hours to prevent active treatment schedules from reducing participants' weekly work hours.
From the source
"Individuals in the PC group actually reduced their work time by 5.4 hours per week (a ten percent decrease) during the intervention."
The_Impacts_of_Mental_Health_Treatment_on_Productivity_in_India.pdf