Where There´s A Will, There's A Way

According to an article in the Scientific American, “About one in six adults living at just above the poverty line or lower has severe mental health problems.” (“Neglect”). Coupled with the fact that treatment is not often available, discrimination and judgement are some of the main reasons for this. Employers see them as unstable and/or dangerous, therefore ignore them as potential employees. Applicants will not be hired due to their condition, then they will not be able to afford the treatment that they need, causing their condition to worsen. Simply removing these stereotypes from society would easily fix the problem, but it would not be an easy task to accomplish. Everyone has different views and opinions. Seeing as there are people who do not even believe that mental illnesses are real, getting these stereotypes to simply vanish will take some time. The first step is to eliminate stereotypes in the workplace. Employers should know that the applicant has a mental illness, but that should not be used to determine whether or not they should be hired. This would slowly start the chain of events leading up to the end of the

At the psychological level, stressful and poor working conditions can cause continuing feelings of humiliation, insecurity and worthlessness. Not having a secure understanding of the future can cause large amounts of anxiety and futility that roots high levels of fatigue from day-to-day life, therefore making everyday coping difficult. Individuals who experience high levels of prolonged stress often attempt to relieve these pressures by adopting unhealthy coping behaviours; for example, the excessive use of alcohol, smoking, and

Mental health is essential to overall health as well as efficiency. It is the foundation for thriving contributions to family, district, and culture. All through the lifespan, mental health is the source of thoughts and communication skills, knowledge, pliability, and self-esteem. It is all too easy to dismiss the worth of mental health until troubles emerges (Brager, G. & Holloway, S., 1978). Mental health troubles and illnesses are factual and disabling conditions that are experienced by one in five Americans. Those who do not get treatment, mental illnesses can consequence in disability and desolation for families, schools, societies, and the workplace.

Meltzer et al., (1995) argues that the unemployed and unskilled have more mentally unstable symptoms compared to those in employment. Also, the fear of being unemployed and job insecurity has a disadvantageous effect on health (Bartley et al., 1996).

Today, protecting and strengthening our ‘mental health’ could not be more important. With our quick pace, 24/7 culture, we face more stress from our daily lives than before. Many of us work extended hours or multiple jobs, and take fewer vacations. In fact, one in three American employees is chronically overworked. The line between work and home life is often blurred so home is no longer a place of rest. Sleep and exercise feel like luxuries. We are eating poorly more often. We are constantly bombarded with information. We are also more disconnected from family, friends, and neighbors, and less engaged in our communities than we use to be. Trusting in one another has steadily declined over the last 30 years. Children aren’t immune either; many are racing from on activity to another without any downtime.(2007 Mental Health America.)

People with mental illness struggle to fit into society. They may feel socially awkward, causing feelings of loneliness or isolation. Likewise, those with mental illness are more likely to be unemployed because of anxiety or fears. Without having a job or way to

Mental health matters, and whether employers know it or not, the psychological wellness of employees affects

Many people with mental illnesses try to hide their mental illness when applying for a job. Research from Mind released on May 16, 2011 found that one in five people who had disclosed their mental illness had been sacked or forced out of their jobs. This shows how most employers don’t want to hire people with mental illness. People with mental illnesses often intimidate employers because they often believe they could be a liability. But in reality although people have a mental illness there are quite a few jobs they are easily capable of doing and we should encourage their interest in working if they are capable of performing the job correctly. According to Psychology Today there are still attitudes within most societies that view symptoms of psychopathology as threatening and uncomfortable, and these attitudes frequently foster stigma and discrimination toward people with mental health problems. People's views on mental illness have been commonly portrayed through the mainstream media in an unpleasant way. This makes life more difficult for people with mental illnesses because this leads to discrimination by others. We should all erase the portrayal of people with mental illnesses, especially employers. If we are going to make opinions of people especially with mental illnesses then we should first do research on their condition.

The audience participation skit allowed the class to have a unique learning experience on how a town dealt with managing its citizens including the unworthy poor. It appeared the town leaders kept the problems and solutions simple, if a person didn’t work and was able to, the person was punished. (R. Vernon, S. Glassburn Larimer, classroom skit, September 3, 2011). Curiosity leads me to question if the town officials took into account any other issues that may have interfered with a citizen’s desire to work such as various mental health concerns; depression, anxiety, PTSD, etc.

In the book, Nickel and Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich, doesn’t talk much about the issue of mental health, but what she does say is “forced into a subordinate status within their social systems. They become depressed. And their behavior is anxious and withdrawn.” According to the National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMH), 1 in 4 American adults, have some form of mental illness. Low-income workers will most likely not get any benefits or medical insurance; since most health insurance companies will not adequately cover the cost of services required to fully overcome mental health issues. Working long hours, not only drains the worker physically but mentally as well, due to the inadequate funds to support

The significance of work for their good mental health was mentioned by the majority of the respondents. For instance, a respondent mentioned that having a job is important for not having to stay home and think about all the negative events that are happening in life (Labonté et al, 2015). These people used to have a job for a limited period of time, then they would be laid off and will find another job somehow, but they never had enough

They tend to explain the development of their psychological illness as problems with their husband, his family, familial concerns, isolation and boredom, and simply being overworked. Due to this explanation they tend to view anhedonia and fatigue in terms of being physically exhausted due to being overworked. This exhaustion causes them to be unable to work and to feel disturbed in their mental processes. Added to this they tend to view work as a necessity and not a choice. They also tended to view their mental illness as part of their own personalities (being a woman) (Karasz, Dempsey, & Fallek,

I believe that being unemployed for a prolonged period may be a detriment to physical and mental health due to overwhelming stress. The idea of unemployment being detrimental to health correlates with Pharr’s (2012) and Janlert’s (2014) researches on the impact of unemployment on mental and physical health. Both concluded similarly that people who have been unemployed for prolonged period have poor mental health compared to the employed, Pharr (2012) also stated that unemployed people are hesitant to receive medical treatment for physical health due to cost. Stress contributes to poor mental health but also feelings of disappointment and shame towards

When one has a sound state of mental health, life is manageable but if one’s mental health has declined, it can impact the emotions, judgements and actions of said person, while also, potentially leading

People in society to not suffer associated mental illness such as depression must be allowed to create and produce in their work without capitalist pressures being exerted on their labour.