The disclosure conundrum: How people with psychiatric disabilities navigate employment.

Abstract

The vocational rehabilitation and mental health literatures usually urge people with psychiatric disabilities to disclose their disability at work. Reasons for preferring disclosure include the opportunity to invoke rights conferred by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the risk of losing federal disability benefits when earning a higher income, and the belief-held by many professionals-that people with psychiatric disabilities will experience permanently debilitating symptoms. However, a newer model of recovery from psychiatric disability challenges these assumptions. A qualitative study of people with psychiatric disabilities explored these issues. The participants were current or former recipients of social security benefits provided to persons with significant disabilities. Participants described complex situations around employment and disclosure, which were more difficult to resolve than disclosure advocates have recognized.

What Lessons do Coming Out as Gay Men or Lesbians have for People Stigmatized by Mental Illness?

“…Similarly, people with serious mental illness face barriers with employment and struggle with the decision to disclosure their illness. (Goldberg et al 2005).…”

Getting Hired: Successfully Employed People with Disabilities Offer Advice on Disclosure, Interviewing, and Job Search

“…People with mental health disabilities face particular barriers to employment; and the literature has investigated their employment concerns using both quantitative and qualitative methods [42][43][44][45][46][47][48]. Stigma (negative and inaccurate beliefs and stereotypes that are often internalized by people with disabilities) has been a focus of much research on people with mental health disabilities, and it affects people with other types of disabilities as well [49][50][51].…”

Employer and employment agency attitudes towards employing individuals with mental health needs

“…There are several ways in which individuals with mental health needs are subject to discrimination with employment being a major category of exclusion (Thornicroft, 2006;Goldberg, 2005). The Disability Discrimination Act (1995) states that it is unlawful for an employer to treat a disabled employee, or potential employee, less favourably than others by discriminating against them.…”