Mental Illness Stigma and Employment Equity

                                              
Greetings!

               

Past research has shown that most people with mental
illnesses are willing and able to work. Yet, their unemployment rates remain inordinately high. The unemployment rate among people with mental illnesses is three to five times higher than their nondisabled counterparts.

 

Stigmatizing views held by employers make it difficult for people living with mental illnesses to enter the competitive workforce. Employers are more likely to hire someone with a physical disability, thus raising doubts about the effectiveness of disability quotas as a method of affirmative action for people with mental illnesses.

 

Surveys of US employers show that half of them are reluctant to hire someone with a psychiatric history or currently undergoing treatment for depression, and approximately 70% are reluctant to hire someone with a history of substance abuse or someone currently taking antipsychotic medication. Half would rarely employ someone with a psychiatric disability and almost a quarter would dismiss someone who had not disclosed a mental illness.

 

It is important to note that these behaviors are in direct contravention to the Americans with Disability Act, which requires employers to make reasonable workplace accommodations for people with physical and mental disabilities.

           

People living with mental illnesses identify employment discrimination as one of their most frequent stigma experiences.

 

Compared with individuals with physical disabilities, twice as many people with mental illnesses (the majority) expect to experience employment-related stigma. One in three mental health consumers in the United States report being turned down for a job once their psychiatric status became known and in some cases, job offers were rescinded when a psychiatric history was revealed. Fear of stigma and rejection by prospective employers may undermine confidence and result in a poorer showing on job interviews. Over time, people with mental illnesses may come to view themselves as unemployable and stop seeking work altogether.

 

Having a psychiatric diagnosis can also seriously limit career advancement as employers are less likely to hire people with mental disorders into executive positions. Research shows that people with psychiatric diagnoses are likely to be underemployed, in lower paying jobs or in jobs that are incommensurate with their skills and interests.

           

Much research shows that people with mental illnesses are more likely to be hired into the secondary labor market where jobs are unskilled, part-time and temporary, with high turnover and few benefits.

 

Economic incentives for people with mental illnesses to work full-time in the primary labor market are minimal. The money that they make often displaces or jeopardizes their disability benefits, creating a benefit trap. Participation in the labor market may also be a function of a lack of education and training due to illness-related interruptions. 

 

Supported employment provides help to people living with mental illnesses and helps them advance their education and training rather than focusing on immediate employment. Community Friendship, Inc. provides services that help reduce underemployment and improve job tenure.

 

Employees with mental illnesses may also experience stigma and discrimination from coworkers once their mental illness becomes known. Workers who return to their jobs after an illness report returning to positions of reduced responsibility with enhanced supervision where they are socially marginalized and become targets for mean-spirited or negative comments from workmates who had previously been supportive and friendly. Half of the competitive jobs acquired by people with a serious mental illness will end unsatisfactorily as a result of problems that occur once the job is in progress, largely as a result of interpersonal difficulties.

                   

 

In order to avoid workplace stigma and discrimination, employees with mental illnesses will usually go to great lengths to ensure that coworkers and managers do not find out about their illness, including avoiding employee assistance programs and shunning effective treatment options.

 

The majority of employees who have mental illnesses will fail to receive appropriate treatment. Only about a third of employees with depression will consult a mental health professional, physician or employee assistance program and as few as 1 in 10 of those who report occupational impairment will take medication to address the problem.

 

Yet, the majority of those who are appropriately treated for mental illnesses will manifest improved work performance and reduced disability days sufficient to offset employer costs for treatment. Compounding the problem is the fact that few managers have sufficient knowledge to recognize or skills to effectively manage mental illness at the workplace. 


Similarly, few organizations have corporate plans to address workplace mental health and employment equity for people with mental illnesses. To reduce stigma and discrimination associated with mental illnesses and promote employment equity for people living with mental illnesses, organizations should be proactive in identifying and managing mental health problems among their workers and  foster an organizational culture that is supportive of mental health and psychosocial recovery.


                   
Community Friendship, Inc. helps people living with mental illnesses to choose, get and keep jobs in the community.

Help support our efforts in strengthening Georgia's workforce. 


Find out more about supported employment services at 404 875-0381 or visit www.communityfriendship.org to view our community impact and to make a secure tax deductible donation. 

Next Article: Mental Illness In A Marriage 
10/21/14