Mental Illness is a medical condition that disrupts a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others and daily functioning. Mental health issues include Clinical Depression, Schizophrenia, Bipolar disorder, Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and Borderline personality disorder. The good news about mental illness is that recovery is possible.
Issues of Mental Health can affect persons of any age, race, religion, or income. They are not the result of personal weakness, lack of character or poor upbringing. Mental health issues are treatable, can experience relief from their symptoms by actively participating in an individual treatment plan.
In addition to medication treatment, psychosocial treatment such as cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy, peer support groups and other community services can also be components of a treatment plan and that assist with recovery.
Join us and help us in dispelling these commonly believed Myths
Myth: If someones’ mental health issues is not under control, they are not job ready
Fact: Job readiness really happens when the skills, interests, values and needs of a person are matched with the demands of a specific job and the values and needs of a particular employer. Job readiness is a dynamic, not a static, concept.
Myth: The stress of working is likely to cause relapses for individuals with mental health issues
Fact: Part of the stress response for these individuas is the knowledge that the typical new worker adjustment period might be misread as a recurrence of mental health issues symptoms. All people undergo stress in making major life changes, both positive and negative ones. If the changes caused by new job are planned and have bulit-in supports, stress can be minimized. Sensitising the employer and educating the individual on self monitoring can be an important tool in adjusting to a new environment.
Myth: If a person with mental health issues is really motivated to work they will be willing to try out any job
Fact: Every person has different needs, concerns and skill sets. A person with mental health issues may not have had the opportunity for much vocational exploration and hence would take some time to find a comfort zone as opposed to aptitude, knowledge or experience.
Myth: If a person with mental health issues is really motivated to work they will be willing to try out any job
Fact: Every person has different needs, concerns and skill sets. A person with mental health issues may not have had the opportunity for much vocational exploration and hence would take some time to find a comfort zone as opposed to aptitude, knowledge or experience.
Myth: A person with mental health issues should only work at low stress jobs that require no interpersonal contact.
Fact: As with all individuals, people with mental health issues are very capable of thriving under competitive environments depending on their temperaments. Rather than broadly generalizing about personal barriers, it is best to help job seekers with mental health issues understand their own capabilities and how these capabilities fit into a specific job match.
Myth: It is very difficult to accomodate a worker with mental health issues
Fact: By definition, accomodation is specific to an individual and a job. There are many types of possible mediums, such as flexible work scheduels, job creation and job carving and providing a co-worker mentor.
Myth: If a person with mental health issues gets a job and it does not work out, it means that person is less likely to succeed in another job
Fact: Different job situations, even the same job titles with different employers, have both similarities and differences. When a person with mental health issues loses a job, that person should not be prevented from seeking another job right away. The fact that the person was successful in becoming employed should be celebrated. The loss of a job can be a learning experience to understand about his strengths and abilities and use this knowledge to find another job.
