in: Mental Health Europe Newsletter, No. 18 (autumn 1997),
p. 10. This article first appeared in newsletter No.6 (Spring
1997) of the European Network of (ex-) Users and Survivors of
Psychiatry.
Mary Nettle
Employment Needs of People with Mental Health Problems
The current rate of unemployment for people with mental health
problems is 70-80%. This, I feel, is not because people do not
want to work, but that current work structures are not flexible
enough to accommodate the up and down nature of peoples' emotional
lives.
Prejudice (stigma) and ignorance means employers reject people
with a history of mental illness. This causes people to lie about
their medical history and therefore have no support if they need
time off work often leading to them being dismissed from their
job.
Particularly in Northern Europe the Social Security system provides
a minimum income for people unable to work, but the rigid, inflexible
way in which the rules are enforced can lead to what in the UK
is called the Benefit Trap. This means that if you are able to
get a job you have to give up all your benefit, which may be worth
more than the job pays, and, if you find the job is too stressful
and have to give it up, you spend a lot of time waiting, often
with no money at all, to be able to get the level of benefit you
had before.
In Canada people with mental health problems can be eligible
for a disability pension, which is paid regardless of whether
they are working or not. I feel that such a pension, guaranteed
for life, would be a great help in reducing the stress levels
associated with returning to work. It would not be a 'scroungers
charter', as the pension would only be awarded to people who have
been in the mental health system for some time.
In the UK we have a Disability Discrimination Act, which specifically
includes people with a history of mental health problems. The
equivalent act in the USA includes people with psychiatric disabilities.
The criteria used to define disability varies according to individual
experience. The way this experience is described varies from country
to country. There is a debate within the mental health user movement
as to whether we should consider ourselves to be disabled. Within
the European Network of (ex-) Users and Survivors of Psychiatry,
the definition of service user is left to the individual. This
can be the same for a definition of disability. My view is that
you are disabled if society treats you differently and there is
no doubt this happens to us because of our mental illness label.
The European User Network established four principles in 1995.
- People experiencing psychosocial disabilities should enjoy
equal opportunity and treatment in respect of access to, retention
and advancement in paid employment which corresponds with their
own informed choice and takes account of existing skills. In
this principle, the rights of men and women experiencing psychosocial
disabilities should be respected.
- Equality of opportunity for persons experiencing psychosocial
disabilities shall extend to all levels of work organisation
and management. This calls for respect for confidentiality of
personal information.
- Every workplace should conform to standards established by
the social partners ensuring a healthy and empowering work place.
- Special positive measures, such as wage subsidiaries and supported
employment schemes, shall not be regarded as stigmatising nor
discriminatory against other workers
The European Network of (ex-) Users and Survivors of Psychiatry
is aiming to get these principles adopted in all countries and
would welcome ideas.
(1) Mary Nettle is a self-employed
mental health user consultant. She is on the editorial board of
'a life in the day' a journal about work and daytime opportunities
for people who use mental health services. She is current chair
of MINDLINK, the service user voice within 'Mind' Britain's largest
mental health charity.
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