Background: With the publication of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), the description of functional health as opposed to symptoms of illness has gained in importance.
Aims: To study the interrelation between disorders of functions, capacity and participation in mental disorders.
Method: Two hundred and thirteen psychosomatic inpatients were assessed with the Mini-ICF-Rating for Mental Disorders (Mini-ICF-P), the Symptom Checklist (SCL-90-R) and an interview on sick leave.
Results: The highest scores in the Mini-ICF-P were found for 'flexibility' (M = 1.64, SD = 0.94), 'structuring of tasks' (M = 1.12, SD = 1.05) and 'endurance' (M = 1.12, SD = 1.02), the lowest for 'self maintenance' (M = 0.19, SD = 0.44), 'mobility' (M = 0.43, SD = 0.85) and 'adherence to regulations' (M = 0.74, SD = 0.98). The correlation between Mini-ICF-P and SCL-90-R GSI is r = 0.51 (p < 0.001), between sick leave and GSI is r = -0.05 and between sick leave and Mini-ICF-P r = 0.34 ( p < 0.001).
Conclusion: Disorders of capacity are more closely related to disorders of participation/sick leave than disorders of functions.