Appendix C – Targeted Health Problems

The health problems considered are those likely to be associated with work, such as musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and common mental disorders (CMDs).

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)

MSDs include disorders affecting structures located at the periphery of joints: muscles, tendons, nerves, ligaments, bursae, joint capsules, vessels, etc. The parts of the body most frequently affected are: the back, the upper limbs (shoulder, elbow, wrist), and more rarely the lower limbs (knees). MSDs have multiple causes, but occupational activity frequently plays a role in their occurrence, maintenance or aggravation. The most common conditions are low back pain, neck pain, joint pain, tendonitis (rotator cuff tendonitis in the shoulder, epicondylitis, etc.) and carpal tunnel syndrome.

Common mental disorders (CMD)

CMDs mainly concern depression, generalized anxiety and adjustment disorder (details in Table 1). They are considered as plausible dysfunctions of workers linked to overexposure to psychosocial risks and generally lead to sickness absence followed by a RTW. Severe mental disorders are distinguished from CMDs, as they mainly concern severe major depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorders.

Several changes are being introduced in the DSM-V, the latest edition of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.