Youth employment, mental health and substance misuse: a challenge to mental health services

Abstract

Employment is the cornerstone of social inclusion, the means by which individuals play a full and active part in society and has a pivotal role in helping young people to negotiate the transitional period between the child and adulthood. Employment therefore should be seen as a right and given a higher priority by health and social care agencies. There are numerous difficulties preventing some young people from achieving full employment and these are compounded for young people with concurrent mental health and substance misuse problems (dual diagnosis). The coexistence of these two problems is on the increase and they are recognized as significant barriers to employment. Unemployment may lead to social alienation, criminal or other antisocial activity and a higher incidence of suicide. Consequently, there is a danger of young unemployed people slipping into a spiral of self-defeating, antisocial and risky behaviour. There is little evidence of health and social care agencies working in partnership with voluntary sector organizations to tackle the growing problem of dual diagnosis and youth unemployment, although there are obvious linkages between employment, psychological health, social inclusion and substance misuse. It is therefore worth exploring the issues surrounding work, mental health and substance misuse in young people if we are to generate new ways of thinking about and responding to the needs of this target group. This presents a challenge to mental health services, particularly nurses who face the impact of these issues in their day to day practice but often lack the preparation and support to adequately address them.

Analysis of parasuicide, psychiatric care and completed suicides, implications for intervention strategy (Czech Republic, 1996–2000)

“…Preventive strategy systems and health services planning depend on the understanding of suicidal behaviour. Suicide risk is strongly associated with psychiatric disorders 3,4 , substance abuse 5 , economic inactivity/ unemployment [6][7][8][9] , education 10 and marital status. The impact of most risk factors differs significantly by gender 5,11,12 .…”

A review of working with homeless adolescents with comorbid mental health and substance misuse problems

“…Sustaining the engagement of these young people in services can be impeded by the lack of a smooth interface between CAMHS and adult mental health services (Mitchell et al, 2002;Stephens, 2002). Where clear transition pathways and policies are in place, the move from adolescent mental health to adult mental health services can be managed effectively.…”

“…Adolescents with dual diagnosis have complex and multifaceted needs; they experience multiple problems and lead chaotic lifestyles (Mitchell et al, 2002). This can make delivering and maintaining meaningful interventions extremely challenging.…”

Predictors of Referral to Supported Employment Among Consumers with Co-Occurring Mental and Substance Use Disorders

“…For consumers with co-occurring mental and substance use disorders, barriers to employment may be even harder to overcome (Mitchell et al 2002). Individuals with cooccurring disorders are likely to experience higher rates of unemployment (Littrell and Littrell 1999) and to have fewer experiences with working (Pickett-Schnek et al 2002).…”