In the UK, five million people of working age have a common mental health difficulty and just under a million have a more severe mental health difficulty.

A mental health difficulty is simply a disturbance in the way that we feel or think. This can make it more difficult to do the things that we normally would do.

At all levels of public and professional life there are people that experience mental health difficulties working, achieving and being successful.

Mental health difficulties are no barrier to achieving a successful and enriching life and should not prevent people contributing to the life and wealth of this country.

This website is a guide to finding a job and keeping a job. It is also a starting point for making your workplace better for everyone’s mental wellbeing and dispelling some of the myths around people with mental health difficulties and their abilities.

Attitudes towards people with mental health difficulties are changing across the UK. There are major initiatives to raise awareness, help people into employment and to change damaging ideas about people with mental health difficulties and the role that they can and do play in making the UK productive and dynamic.

In March 2008 Dame Carol Black set out a vision for the ways in which people with disabilities, including mental health difficulties, could be helped to overcome the damaging effects of worklessness. Her report, ‘Working for a Healthier Tomorrow’ (available here) showed how people with mental health difficulties can take their rightful place in enjoying the benefits of employment and contribute to the British economy:

“For most people, their work is a key determinant of self-worth, family esteem, identity and standing within the community, besides, of course, material progress and a means of social participation and fulfillment.”

This is as true for people with mental health difficulties as it is for any other group in society. While there are individual challenges, organisational challenges and business challenges, when everyone works together it is possible for people with mental health difficulties and those that employ and work with them to make sure that a real change can be made.

London is at the forefront of this change. The London Mental Health and Employment Partnership is leading that change across the capital.

On this site, we’ve created a wide range of resources for job seekers and employees , and for employers (including a 5 minute stress test).  If you’re not feeling yourslelf, you can find Primary Care based Mental Health Services near you using our interactive map.  And if you have a question about Mental Health and Employment, you can Ask our Experts.  Finally, you can follow the latest news and blogs around Mental Health and Employment, and – most importantly – why not get involved and share your experiences?

Tags: mental health difficulties, mental wellbeing, people with disabilities