Employers hire employees and pay them a salary. Employees are people who get a job from the employer. This whole process is known mainly for being easy. That is unless a person with mental health problems is looking for a job.
When employers receive a CV from a person who meets the requirements for the job, but has a mental problem, the relationship becomes more complicated. This happens most often because of the stigma that has settled permanently in society. One of the most common stigmatizing perceptions of the mentally ill are the following: People with mental illness are dangerous. They are prone to violence, they can destroy, injure and even kill. They are difficult to control. And also, person can become a victim of violence, which will be committed by the one who is mentally ill. Mental illness is incurable. Medication and psychotherapy are useless or even harmful. A lot or maybe all of the mental illnesses are getting even worse by the patients themselves who do not have the will or the character to deal with their problems, but flee the disease and occupy others with themselves. People with mental illness cannot be held responsible for their behavior. They cannot survive outside psychiatric hospitals, social homes and the care of their loved ones. Communicating with these people is difficult. They can’t work. They will be the reason for the loss of customers. They will slow down the work. They will never come on time. They will be absent often. And much more.
Is this all the truth? Of course not. On the contrary – people with mental health problems are not dangerous. It is not true that mental illness cannot be treated, because every mentally ill person has a certain diagnosis, according to which it has been prescribed therapy, incl. medicaments. People with mental health problems are not to blame. Loss of customers and poor results are caused by frivolous or incompetent employees. Not from an employee with a diagnosis. So our strong recommendation to employers is: don’t judge people, try to get in their shoes and then make the decision.
Give a hand to a person with mental illnesses. The person and the universe will be thankful.