Employment Provision For Mentally Ill Persons

Most Americans with a disability are usually laid-off and if they do have a job it is usually part time, dead end or under minimum wage. Many organizations do not want to hire disabled workers because they do not expect anything from them, which is due to the way society treats the disabled. People believe they are not strong or capable of doing anything or worthwhile. There are laws put against this matter, but no one who is being treated this way is not saying anything because they accepted it. This makes them feel isolated and causes depression (APA

Or they see them as violent and aggressive, but the truth is a person with mental health problems is more likely to be harmed or to harm themselves than someone else. The only reason a mentally ill person is violent or aggressive is from the lack of treatment and care. According to Mental Health Foundation, “People with mental health problems say that the social stigma attached to mental ill health and the discrimination they experience makes their difficulties worse and make it harder to recover.” People with a mental health problem have to battle their condition everyday on two ends. Frist they have to deal with their mental illness itself. Then they have to learn how to live with it in a world filled with stigma and discrimination. Society doesn’t understand that the mentally ill are not their mental illness. They are human beings first, they have likes, dislikes, hobbies, skills, fears, dreams and passions just like we do. As I mentioned before Liza Long, the author of the article “I am Adam Lanza’s Mother”, has a son with a mental health problem, but he is also a “13-year old genius who loves Harry Potter and his snuggle animal collection.” Many people with mental health problems have jobs, family, school, friends, pets, businesses and responsibilities like we do. A number of people with a mental health condition learn how to cope with

Although the stereotype towards the mentally ill is very current in society, it is not to say that all of the public agree with it. For example, there are many stereotypes of different ethnic groups but not everybody would agree with them. In contrast, prejudiced people will endorse these negative stereotypes, an example of this being that ‘those who are mentally ill are violent’, as a consequence this then

Before 1955, the mentally ill took shelter in mental facility institutions. After 1955, the United States’ deinstitutionalized these facilities and made policy changes to the mental illness treatment system. However, those policy changes are flawed. Some say rather than abandoning mentally ill patients and depriving them of shelter, the United States government should change the way the mentally ill are treated in their current living situations. Instead of changing the attitudes of those who provide services to the mentally ill, it would be more beneficial to change the services themselves.

“One of my biggest struggles with dealing with my ‘problems’ was being able to pay for help. At some points I thought the process to receive help was more draining than my illness itself” (May). Mental illness has plagued millions of people in the United States alone, and with the stigma it carried, getting the help that is needed is not always possible. With Proposition 63 in California it is speculated that with proper aid from the government and community those with mental health problems will be better suited to face their demons. That by having a budget to help those desperately in need we can better the lives of those who struggle with mental illness.

95). The 1992 amendments were set into place to improve these numbers. However, over a decade has gone by and there are still barriers that have not been broken down. Many employers will not employ someone with a psychiatric disability thus resulting in “underemployment of the subpopulation with only one third of individuals being competitively employed at one time” (Schutt & Hursh, 2009, p.53-54). Job retention has also become a growing concern because meaningful employment has been difficult to quantify. In addition to the majority of the psychiatric disability population being unemployed, those that are employed “work entry-level job positions with low pay and little chance of advancement leading to limited opportunities for improvement in the quality of their lives” (Ackerman & McReynolds, 2005, p. 36). “Job retention is an important psychosocial goal, which is not often achieved” (Schutt et al., 2009, p.53). “The main reason individuals with psychiatric disabilities leave jobs is due to interpersonal and personal problems more than quality of work” (MacDonald-Wilson, Rogers, & Massaro, 2003, p.16). It was also found that most had “poor motivation or job responsibility” (Rimmerman, Botuck, & Levy, 1995, p. 41).

In 1973 the section 504 rehabilitation act banned discrimination on people with disabilities. “For the first time, the exclusion and segregation of people with disabilities was viewed as discrimination” (Mayerson). People thought that people with disabilities that were unemployed and uneducated was “inevitable” (Mayerson). People fighting for the disabled proved that this was wrong and needed to be changed. The Americans with Disabilities act changed nothing for the employment for them, and by 2018 people with disabilities were still getting wages 40 percent below a “healthy person’s” (Picker). But, despite some unchanged discrimination the fixing of the equality between the disabled and nondisabled, right now, is that the Americans

People who are mentally ill or disabled are often stigmatized in society and deemed of lesser value than those who are “normal,” meaning they do not have a mental illness or disability. There are only a few options for treatment within the disabled community and all of the options are unfair. They are, hospitalization to imprisonment to being homeless. These so-called treatments for those who are considered “abnormal” and “sick” dehumanize them, prevent them from making their own life decisions, devalue their quality of life, and further perpetuate stereotypes by separating the normal and abnormal people (as if they are different). In my paper, I will utilize the article “A Training Ground for Untrained Artists” by Nathaniel Richdec and a

The method being used in the study is to use participants from different demographics, on four very different vocational programs to see exactly what program is a better fit for individuals with all different types of vocational challenges. The “Who Benefits From Supported Employment Study (2011) describes the sample size as, “4 Randomized Control Trials of IPS vs usual services. All 4 studies compared a newly established IPS program with one or more well-established vocational programs. In all 4 studies, participants were recruited from mental health centers (or a psychiatric rehabilitation agency in the Chicago Study). Participants were adults who met each state's criteria for SMI, typically a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fourth Edition) (DSM-IV) Axis I or II diagnosis plus severe and persistent impairment in psychosocial functioning. All participants were unemployed at the time of study admission. Other common eligibility criteria included desire for competitive work, ability and willingness to give informed consent, and absence of significant medical conditions that would preclude working or participating in assessment interviews. In addition, all participants were required to attend multiple research information meetings in which the project was explained, after which they gave written informed consent to participate in the study. All 4 studies used a similar protocol to track employment outcomes and psychiatric symptoms. Importantly, none of the studies excluded clients on the basis of illness severity, lack of readiness, poor job history, or other clinical factors.("Who Benefits From Supported Employment", 2011).” Again, the problem is being identified as employment while battling with substance abuse and SMI, and the Method is data analysis by

Margaret Vroman, Associate Professor at Northern Michigan University, and former attorney authored the article “Hiring and Firing the Mentally and Psychiatrically Disabled: Advice for HR Professionals.” Ms. Vroman holds a Bachelor of Science in History and Political Science and her Master of Arts in Political Science from Western Michigan University. With an estimated 26.2% of adults suffering from diagnosed mental disorders the effect on the work place can be significant. People with mental disorders are the largest group of disabled individuals in the work force. The 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (AMERICANS WITH DISABILITES ACT) and subsequent 2009 Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act (AMERICANS WITH DISABILITES ACTAA) prohibits

Working outside the home can be a task for those considered normal, so there is no doubt that a support system need to be in place for a person living with schizophrenia dealing with the woes of competing in the work force today. Attempting to become self sufficient is becoming more visible through the assistance of agencies providing training with coping mechanisms for those desiring to live independent of others while building self-esteem aimed at living and enjoying the pleasures of being independent and not dependent on family or the government for survival. Due to an increase in individualized support, there is a greater need on self-determination and self-direction. People with disabilities are striving for equality and being able to claim their independence by competing in the workplace and earning a salary equal to their co-workers (Shalock & Verdugo, 2013). Now the move is on ensuring that resources within an organization maximize and develop effective services and supports that can be used for multiple purposes, and enhance personal outcomes of those with disabilities (Shalock & Verdugo, 2013).

One in every seventeen people in America suffers from a mental disorder. These disorders inhibit the afflicted person from functioning properly and coping normally with daily life. Many afflicted with a psychological disorder do not exhibit obvious symptoms, as medical advancements have made it possible for these disorders to be suppressed or even nonexistent. Today, however, harsh stigmas exist that unfairly categorize those with a mental illness as violent, unfriendly, and abnormal. The media and federal government are culprits in fabricating the unrealistic depictions of mental disability that define the portrayal of those who are mentally or psychologically disadvantaged.

People with disabilities struggle to find employment opportunities and retain positions. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor statistics reported that 17.5% of people with disabilities were employed. This is much lower than the 65% of people without a disability (BLS, 2016). People with disabilities may struggle to find employment due to limited training and educational opportunities and restrictions on mobility. They encounter negative stigma from employers and peers who may feel that modifications will be needed to assist limitations (Elliot & Leung, 2004). Employment is a basic right for every citizen and is important for many reasons. Employment improves people’s physical and mental well-being (Kessler et al., 1987; Moser

There are great health care benefit programs for employees in most organizations. However, the age limitations are causing serious concerns when it comes to mental care for dependent adults over the age of 26. This needs to change, as mentally ill patients over the age of 26 are left without healthcare insurance; which is never a good thing. Mentally challenged individuals deserve to be protected and covered as dependents under their caregiver’s insurance plans as long as they live. The term dependent should not be restricted to an age, but rather be a term that defines the individual who is unable to provide for themselves due to some mental disorder. Therefore, if organizations change their policies and include the mentally ill as a dependent regardless of age, then, it is likely for economies to see declining crime rates, less cost to taxpayers for essential services, and better overall rehab facilities.

The strengths of this research were in the controlling of variables and the identification of unemployment as the independent variable. The weakness of this research was that it focused specifically on people with psychiatric disabilities and used county-level employment data as opposed to specific working areas of responsibility for the Vocational Rehabilitation Office.