Misunderstandings of Mental Illness Cost Qualified People Their Jobs

Complaining about work is a popular pastime. It can be a way of bonding with others who also have impossible bosses, annoying coworkers, or miserable working conditions. But few of us would want to be unfairly barred from all that work can offer. The benefits of a job go beyond economic support. In the best cases, jobs can provide structure, social ties and social support, welcome challenges, and maybe even a sense of self and a meaningful life. If you have a mental illness, though, you may find it particularly difficult to land a job, even if you want to work and you are qualified for the jobs that interest you. According to Bandy X. Lee, an assistant clinical professor at the Yale School of Medicine, unemployment rates among the mentally ill are three to four times as high as those without such illnesses. Among the biggest barriers to employment, Professor Lee maintains, are other people’s misconceptions about mental illness. Here are some of the truths she has documented, to counteract the myths. The job skills of people with mental illnesses can be adequate or even superior, and people without mental illnesses sometimes lack the mental capacity to do certain jobs. Mental illnesses do not undermine all skills and can even enhance some capacities. As Professor Lee points out, “Abraham Lincoln’s severe depression is said to have made him more compassionate, while Theodore Roosevelt’s hypomanic moods made him an exuberant and influential personality.” We all have di...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Policy and Advocacy Stigma Mental Illness Stigma Source Type: blogs