People with Schizophrenia in Work Who are Completely Independent (from Mental Health Foundation)

European comparisons:- Complete independence via work: 8.9% UK, Employment, European comparisons:- Complete independence via work: 8.9% UK, 7.6% France, 11.8% Germany (British Journal of Psychiatry April 2014). NB This survey also found that most people with schizophrenia had worked for at least some of their lives. All the above stats are for schizophrenia.

Suicides by People with Schizophrenia

People with Schizophrenia

General Mental Illness

‘Everyone has a right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.’ (Article 23 of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights.)

General Mental Illness: Absence From Work British Journal of Psychiatry 2013: Absence from work through mental illness was an average 30 days per year, more than any other condition. Early retirements are a big feature of Mental Health – 20% among NHS employees for example.

Paul Farmer, CEO of Mind, has expressed that the DWP Work Programme shows disappointing results for those with mental health problems, and that the Work Programme is administered to cherry pick the most employable claimants. Those who need most support are being ‘parked.’

Preparedness for Mental Illness in the Workforce 80% of organisations did not have a Mental Health policy in 2006. Collaboration between BJP and Shaw Trust to repeat survey in 2009: attitudes and knowledge improved, but no increase in formal policies... 2010 more policies in place

How Much Does Mental Illness Cost ? OECD Paris estimates the cost of mental illness in the UK at £70 bn, or 4.5% of GDP, because of productivity losses, benefit payments, and costs to the NHS. ( The Guardian 10 Feb 2014 )

Ignorance: From British Journal of Psychiatry 2013: 2006 report found that 33% of employers thought that mental illness never affected any of their staff during their working lives...Down to 7% in 2009 and 4% in 2010.

Work Limiting Aspects of Mental Illness: The effects of the illness itself (positive symptoms) The effects of treatments limiting attention and other cognitive abilities

Protected Characteristics under the Equality Act 2010 1 Age 2 Disability 3 Gender Reassignment 4 Marriage and civil partnership 5 Pregnancy and maternity 6 Race 7 Religion and belief 8 Sex 9 Sexual orientation

Among Protected Characteristics, anonymised Occurences in the UK Population Include :- 0.01% of the population (Yahoo answers) 14.1% of the population (2011 census) 1.5% of the population (Guardian 2013) 1 in 4 will have a Mental Health issue in the course of a year (Mental Health Foundation) This is 25% of the population... Yet Mental Health is not a separate protected characteristic  

To Sum Up So Far :- Mental Illness is a severe disadvantage in the workplace Stigma that leads to discrimination is the major factor that brings about disadvantage in the workplace for those with mental health issues

Individual Placement and Support IPS

Train Then Place: Training, sheltered workshops, assessment centres, industrial therapy Place Then Train: Get employment then support and train if needed (includes the IPS model).

IPS service embedded in local Recovery Teams (CMHT’s)

Train then place in the days of very low expectations:-

No serious attempt to develop the service user’s abilities Just another part of the system where there could be more to be had: more benefit income, more cups of tea Most employment accrued to those employed by the system

DB:- Woman of 48 with schizoaffective disorder RW:- Man of 54 with paranoid schizophrenia with manic depression SN:- Woman of 41 with bipolar disorder AV:- Man of 63 with paranoid schizophrenia

‘Everyone has a right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.’ (Article 23 of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights.)