The Worlds Maddest Interview.

tempura

I think this is relevant to this forum. Documentary on channel 4 tonight about people with a range of Mental health problems and the impact it has on their ability to gain employment, how they are viewed through prospective employers point of view and how they cope in a range of tasks relating to their ability to do a job.

Think it is interesting on this forum as I see a lot of people posting who have self esteem and confidence issues gaining employment.

Not insinuating that people have mental health issues because they are unemployed ( am unemployed myself ).

Anyway, you can catch on Channel 4 on demand and related article here

http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2012/jul/16/4-goes-mad-mental-illness?CMP=twt_gu

Mrs OBumble

Thanks tempura, I think it's relevant too.

Getting employment is sometimes a real challenge for people who have mental illnesses, and anything that increases understanding is A Good Thing, IMHO.

Denerick

I thinks it a real shame how mentally ill people are actively discriminated against in job interviews (And by extension, within jobs themselves).

Depression and anxiety (Its ugly sister) is a global phenomenon and has gradually become more widespread over the past 50 years. Whether this means there are more incidences of depression or merely that more people are seeking treatment, is very much up for debate. But what isn't up for debate is how cripplingly stupid many companies are in taking such a wrong headed position on this disease. In your average office, chances are anywhere from around 10 to 20 percent of your co-workers either have, or have suffered from a depression based ailment. Many of these will either live with their illness in silence, or seek medication covertly.

With fewer people working longer hours for less pay, expect this problem to exacerbate in the years to come.

I think western capitalism is reaching a tipping point, and sooner or later a new philosophy of work will need to take hold. One that is less concentrated on results or producing 'more stuff', but in getting the best out of employee's and exploiting the maximum human potential which is currently wasted away because of a bone headed management structure that really hasn't changed all that much since the 70s.

doolox

Good point. If you are in a wheel chair or blind or have an obvious disability then the state in most countries in Europe have provision for getting people into jobs and allowances are made and people with different abilities are accommodated and make a contribution to society.

Try having a less obvious disability like a mental disorder like depression or a condition like Aspergers, with which I have only recently been diagnosed after 52 yrs trying to live like a "normal" person and then you see how puzzling and difficult it can be to be picked as the right person for a job.

The real evil of high unemployment in any society is that it excludes everyone but the ideal "perfect" person from any meaningful employment. Many of the "imperfect" people fall into the margins of society, resort to crime and other problematic behaviours and end up costing the "normal" "perfect" job holders more money in increased costs for jails, security, mental hospitals, sheltered accomodation etc which are incurred by the general society when a large number of its people are EXCLUDED from economic participation by being repeatedly rejected at the interview table.

Even those in employment do not win as they constantly subject to increasing demands for less reward under the very real threat of being cast out into the ranks of the unemployed......

What the solution is I do not know but the path probably means altering the way people are allotted out all the work available for completion in any given society, the end of fixed working weeks for most people, the end of unreasonably high debt commitments (mortgages) for most ordinary workers and a sharing out of the remaining available work so that all available qualified workers get a chance to actually work. Because of similar jobs crises in Europe especially among the young, this will have to be tackled at a Europe level.

Mrs OBumble

There are two sides to every story, though.

I've worked with colleagues who use wheelchairs (and ones with various other physical disabilities), and with people who have a various mental illnesses.

The former are colleagues just like anyone else - except occasionally they need help with something (eg one woman needed assistance to get into and out of her car every day).

The latter find it more difficult to moderate their own emotional responses: if they feel sad, angry, whatever, they often can't just suck it up and get on with the job. It's not their fault (usually - let's leave drug induced things out of the discussion), it's just a characteristic of their disease. But in the best case, they take sick leave, and colleagues have to pick up the slack. Worst case, their behaviour comes out in the workplace, making life anywhere between difficult and downright dangerous for colleagues and customers. So while I can sympathise, I don't actually want to be in at work with someone who's in the acute phase of any mental illness - and it's the sort of issues that is very difficult for any employer to make accommdation for.

Intellectual disabilities (eg Asperges / ASD) are different again. People who live with them often make great employees if you get them in the right job. Sometimes they're not such great colleagues: personally I can live with that if they're good at the job, but some people have the idea that you go to work to make friends so struggle with it.

Greenmachine

Watched this last week. Was really interesting to watch as someone who suffered difficulties in the past.

sligoface

that was very good, i think it needs to be brought to light that most people suffer from something at some time and some of us have something all the time.

i've had problems with depression and anxiety which can override my natural talents and make me useless until i snap out of it. a lot of it comes from suffering from moderate to severe eczema all my life on a lot of my body. sometimes i'm extremely uncomfortable or in a lot of pain and it also makes me self conscious and depressed. this affects me at work to a certain degree almost every day, though i'm usually too embarrassed to say what's bothering me.

you have to be feeling good to be a good worker, but few companies care about how their employees feel.