A job can help mentally ill — if they can find one

To those suffering from a mental illness, employment can be an intervention on its own.

Wayne Petitt, employment services coordinator at the Community Counseling Center, said the feeling of being productive and being out in the community can have a transformative effect on a person living with mental illness.

But for people navigating the job market and a disorder, employment can sometimes be difficult to come by.

The job search can be daunting for someone dealing with mental illness.

“A lot of them are nervous about going back and trying. They feel like it’s going to be hard for them, and their mental-health issues add to that,” Petitt said.

Employment specialists help people living with mental illness find work based on their skills and interests.

Ken Robert, benefits planner and employment specialist at the CCC, said he doesn’t see issues of discrimination often once a person is hired.

But during the job search, the stigma sometimes precedes the applicant, he said.

“We had someone go to an employer, and on their application, they had their address, and they were currently living at a residential-care facility,” Robert said.

“The employer said ‘Oh, that’s where the crazy people live.’ That was very upsetting to that person.”

Robert said when representatives go to talk about the CCC’s employment program to employers, they often get snubbed.

“We have had some people, when they realize that we are affiliated with mental-health professionals, they kind of shut the door on us. It’s not frequent, but it does happen,” Robert said.

“Most employers are open to our services,” Petitt said. “But there’s still a stigma associated with mental health.

“When we talk to employers, we’re not asking for special treatment for our employees. They just want to be like everyone else. They want to be able to socialize out in the community. To feel productive.”

Each year, more than 41 million Americans experience some sort of mental illness, according to the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Anxiety alone is widespread. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration reports about 3.7 percent of the country’s adult full-time workers — 4.3 million Americans — suffered at least one anxiety disorder within a year.

Despite this, a stigma continues to surround mental illness and those who live with it.

People with mental-health issues must decide whether to disclose that information to their employers, and if so, when and how.

Although discrimination against a person because of a disability is illegal, it happens.

ADA rules

The Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities, which occurs when an employer treats an applicant or employee less favorably because he or she has a disability or a history of a disability.

Mental illness can fall under this umbrella. The law applies to state and local government employers, and private employers with more than 15 employees.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness lists the various legal options an employee can take if he or she feels discriminated against. A person can file a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Equal Employment Opportunity Office and the State Fair Employment Practice Agency. If a person is denied FMLA medical leave, he or she should contact the department of labor.

In addition to the expectation of nondiscrimination, the law requires the employer to provide reasonable accommodation to the employee or applicant with a disability, unless doing so would cause significant difficulty — “undue hardship” — or expense for the employer.

Undue hardship is determined based on the employer’s size, financial resources, and the needs of the business. An employer does not have to provide the exact accommodation the employee wants. If more than one accommodation works, the employer may choose which to provide.

There are stories of people with disabilities having to deal with managers and co-workers who seem to “have it out for” their employees with disorders.

Beverly Northcutt, director of the Gallery of Inspiration in downtown Cape Girardeau, discussed a time when she first was learning to deal with her illness.

She recalled a woman she worked with “constantly jabbing at me. And I was just doing my job.”

Over time, it escalated to a point where Northcutt no longer felt comfortable in her position.

“I’m not a person who uses bad language. Well, she got it. And after that, all I could do was cry,” she said.

Accommodations

Robert recalled a client who came to him after becoming unemployed.She was a valued employee at her job.

Her manager accommodated her need to step away for a few moments occasionally to gather herself, not unlike a smoke break, he said.

“We’re not talking about taking off work for an hour. Just periodically stepping away,” Robert said.

A new manager came in, and would not accommodate the needs of her employee and “kind of had it in for the person, and everything fell apart,” Robert said.

“It’s an example of, with just a little bit of understanding, they’d have been a productive, valued employee for a long time. But when someone comes along who didn’t have that understanding, suddenly everything went downhill.”

The U.S. Department of Labor offered a list of basic accommodations employers can provide their employees with psychiatric disabilities so they more effectively perform their jobs.

Offering employees a flexible workplace or scheduling, occasional leave and breaks according to individual needs can improve the effectiveness of the employee.

Even something as simple as permitting food and beverages at a workspace can ease the burden.

“As far as employers in this area, there a few that have snubbed their noses, but quite a few more that are willing to listen if they just know what’s going on. I think that’s a key,” Petitt said.

Education

One of the best things an employer can do, Robert said, is to educate themselves, and do whatever they can to avoid the stigma.

Employers also can be proactive when working with someone who is living with a mental illness.

Employers should be aware of warning signs if an employee is struggling. Petitt recommends employers be honest about their concerns and have a frank discussion about it.

“Especially if they’ve been a good worker in the past,” Petitt said. “If they seem really down, or really having problems, encourage them to go see a psychiatrist or a therapist. It would be nice if people were given a chance, before they slip into an episode, and then they lose their job and start back to zero.”

Along with employers accommodating the needs of their employees, people who are living with mental illness must consider their own abilities when joining the workforce and making a job change.

For example, Robert said, someone who gets stressed out when dealing with the public may be more comfortable in a behind-the-scenes role.

Northcutt suggests people with a disorder consider the environment in which they would feel most comfortable and thrive, and begin with something low-key.

“Take something that’s not stressful in the beginning, that’s rather low-key, like file clerk or something in the library,” Northcutt said.

“I started out small, part-time. I’m working full time now,” Michelle Davis, a peer specialist at the Community Counseling Center, said. “I was drawing disability. I worked my way off that two years ago.”

Davis said having a support system is key to being successful in the workplace.

“Just having other people have hope for you and giving you that encouragement is huge,” Davis said.

Though mental illness is often referred to as one large category, each illness, each diagnosis is unique, as are the people given the diagnoses.

Employers would do well to remember that, Northcutt said.

“I’ve learned that you have to just take them individually, because everyone is their own person,” Northcutt said. “You just can’t group them all into one group, and say, ‘Well, they’re mentally ill, and so we treat one as the other.’ You have to treat them all differently.”

bbrown@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630

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How to help others cope

According to the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, each year more than 41 million Americans experience some sort of mental illness. If a friend or family member is showing signs of struggling with a mental-health issue, there are ways to offer support.

• Express concern.
• Find out whether the person is getting the care he or she needs and wants.
• Ask questions and actively listen when the topic of mental-health problems arises.
• Remind the person help and treatment is available.
• Offer help with everyday tasks.
• Include the person in your plans. Even if he or she often declines, continue to invite the person without being overbearing.
• Treat all people with mental-health problems with respect and compassion.

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

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Tips for employers

ItÂ’s important for employers to make all employees feel comfortable in the work environment, including those who suffer from mental-health disorders. The best way to do this is to remove the stigma that surrounds them. Some tips for employers:

• Educate employees about the signs and symptoms of mental illness.
• Invest in mental-health benefits.
• Encourage employees to discuss their stresses.
• Communicate that mental illness is common and treatable.
• Discourage stigmatizing labels such as “crazy.”
• Make the process of transitioning into to the workplace after a mental-health leave as easy as possible.

Source: Society for Human Resources Management