What is it that holds us back?

There are a number of myths about mental health and work that hold people back and prevent them from taking their place in the world of work.

The most damaging is that you need to be 100% well to be in work.  This is outdated thinking that has led people with mental health difficulties to shy away from the opportunities of the job market, frightened that they will be unable to cope.

Mental health difficulties that affect you for more than twelve months and that have an impact on your day-to-day life are best thought of as disabilities.

In the same way that we expect people with physical disabilities to be supported in work, the Disability Discrimination Act also protects people who experience mental health difficulties.

Another myth is that work will inevitably make you ill.  Research actually shows that for most people with mental health difficulties, finding the right job actually reduces the severity of their symptoms and helps them to feel mentally more well.

A further myth is that there is no help for people who experience mental health difficulties to get back into work, or to take their first steps into employment.  There are actually a number of government, private and voluntary sector bodies and services that exist just for that purpose.

A final myth is that people do not understand mental health difficulties and do not wish to employ people who experience them.  While it is true that some employers have little knowledge of mental health difficulties, and that there is still a number of people with outmoded ideas, attitudes are changing towards mental ill health.  High profile campaigns such as Time to Change and Stand to Reason are changing attitudes, as are all of the people with mental health difficulties who are in employment, quietly getting on and being successful.

Times are changing. If you are a service-user you can help this change by getting out there, believing in yourself and casting aside these old myths forever.

London is at the forefront of the changes for people who experience mental health difficulties

Tags: Disability Discrimination Act (DDA), mental health and work, mental health difficulties, time to change