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Working With Disabilities

This is the place for questions and answers; a place for your story--impossible challenges and remarkable successes.

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Mental Health and Employment

Posted on: Fri, Aug 1 2008 8:48 PM

Posted by: JohnS Posts: 1

Mental Health and Employment
John S. Caswell
When an individual is diagnosed with a mental health disorder it is the whole life of the individual that has become disordered. Severe mental illness most often affects every aspect of the individual’s life including but not limited to: housing, employment and finances, personal and social relationships, and one’s ability to carry out the daily activities necessary to take care of oneself. Fortunately, many individuals facing these challenges do in fact overcome. Those who are not in the helping profession often have preconceived ideas about individuals whom, due to no fault of their own, carry a mental health label. This is due in part to a lack of education about mental illness in our public schools and the media’s capitalization on the devastating effects mental illness has on the lives of people so unfortunate as to be faced with challenges of the illness. These preconceived ideas are often unfounded and untrue such as the idea that individuals with mental health concerns are more aggressive than people without such concerns. The reality is individuals recovering from mental illness are often more vulnerable than the general population and thereby more susceptible to abuse and victimization. Individuals recovering from mental illness are often generalized into categories defined by their illness and are judged by whatever knowledge the person their having an interaction with has about their illness, be that knowledge true or false. In my mind people should be looked upon as individuals, not judged by preconceived ideas, generalizations or mental health labels and they should be recognized for their abilities rather than their disabilities. Little is written about the fact that people can and do overcome such disorders and become happy, productive members of society. I for one find that to live a happy life is to live a well-balanced life that includes contribution to society. In our society we often define and place value on people by the work they do, be it cook, waitress, truck driver lawyer teacher, homemaker, etc. Therefore, most people have a desire to be employed, including individuals who are recovering from mental illness. Why is it then that although most people want to work, “85 percent of people with persistent mental illness are unemployed?” (NAMI Advocate, winter 2001.) One reason employers are reluctant to hire individuals with mental illness is that depending on the type of job and the individual’s ability to learn it may take three to six months before the individual becomes a true asset to the employer by working at a profit. There is also the fear that the individual may terminate employment before turning a profit to the company. People employed by mental health agencies as vocational specialist understand that “helping people with severe mental illness obtain competitive jobs that correspond with their explicit job preferences increases job satisfaction and tenure” (Deborah R. Becker, Robert E. Drake, Amy Faraugh, and Gary R. Bond, Psychiatric Services 47: 1223-1226, 1996) and therefore spend a great deal of time to insure that there is a good job match and or fit. It is sometimes thought that individuals recovering from mental illness will not work as hard as an individual without mental illness when in reality people recovering from mental illness most often work harder as they feel a need to meet and overcome their challenges and to prove themselves. Another reason employers are reluctant to hire individuals with mental illness is the untruth that individuals with mental health concerns take more time off from work than people without such concerns. The reality is that in most cases people recovering from mental illness take no more time off than someone who suffers from migraines or an individual who has the flu. Oftentimes it is thought that individuals recovering from mental illness are content with their quality of life and therefore are reluctant to work. The reality is that although there are some great public service programs that assist individuals to “get by” and “survive” individuals receiving such services most often live at or below the poverty level and could greatly improve their quality of life through employment. Reasons individuals recovering from mental illness want to work are much the same as those as persons without mental illness. Working helps alleviate feelings of isolation and guilt. If you’ve ever had to stay home from work for an extended period of time due to illness, a broken leg or whatever, you know what it feels like to be stuck there. Just imagine having to stay home day after day after day because you’re unemployed and have no job to go to. Imagine how guilty you’d feel if every time you had to go to a doctor’s appointment or the grocery store you have a friend or parent drive you and knowing you don’t even have five dollars you can spare to put gas in their tank. The isolation and guilt I speak of are true realities for people recovering from mental illness. Working improves one’s sense of self-wroth or self-esteem by promoting a feeling of accomplishment and contribution to society. It also instills a feeling of belonging by promoting a team spirit. Another thing working does is promote a feeling of acceptance by a family who may have given up on and or even rejected their loved one early in the course of the illness when things were at their worst. Working also promotes a feeling of acceptance by co-workers and the general public who see the individual day after day as he or she works and then patronizes local businesses and pays for services and merchandize with money he or she has earned as opposed to paying with a food stamp card or voucher. All this promotes a feeling of pride and dignity that we as humans hold so sacred. Thanks to modern medication and competent treatment I see a future in which more and more individuals recovering from mental illness overcome their burden and go on to become happy, productive members of our society. It is my hope that this introductory paper has given you, the reader, a better understanding of mental illness and people so unfortunate as to be faced with these challenges. Another hope is that this will spark an interest and desire to educate yourself and others to the realities, challenges and abilities of people recovering from mental illness. It is also my hope that if given the opportunity to assist a member of this little understood population obtain competitive employment --- and thereby improve the quality of their life --- you will do so. You may even be prompted to call your local mental health agency and speak with a vocational specialist and discuss the realities of utilizing this seldom recognized workforce. Above all, please try to treat the individual recovering from mental illness with respect and as an equal, after all, he or she is not looking for charity, but rather a means to contribute to society while at the same time becoming self-sufficient.

Filed under: stigma, Employment, disabled work

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Re: Mental Health and Employment

Posted on: Fri, Aug 1 2008 9:09 PM

Posted by: pambe2 Posts: 0

Welcome to Disaboom John,

Thanks for the post. I, personally no longer use the term mental illness. I always say mental health. I cannot speak for others, but I think the term mental illness is outdated and not very positive. Mental Health just sounds more hopeful to me. I'm glad you're with us!

pambe

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