Schizophrenia and employment report out today

Posted Monday 11 February 2013

The Work Foundation has today published its Working with Schizophrenia: Pathways to Employment, Recovery and Inclusion report, which highlights the biggest barriers that people affected by schizophrenia face when trying to obtain work.

Mind worked with the organisation to inform and shape the report, which found that:

• the major barriers for people with schizophrenia are stigma, low expectations from healthcare professionals, negative employer attitudes and a lack of jobs due to the economic climate
• employers are still not sure how to support people and they have concerns that people with schizophrenia will require more managerial support
• there still is a general belief that people with schizophrenia are “not able to do things well”
• research shows that those in work are over five times more likely to be able to live independently.

Paul Farmer, Chief Executive of Mind, said:

These findings deepen and build on much that we already know.

They show that stigma and society’s low expectations have a chilling effect on the aspirations that employers and healthcare professionals have for people with schizophrenia and that sadly these attitudes often impact on people with schizophrenia themselves – leading to self-stigma.

We know that employers need the right policies and culture in place – and this is exactly what our campaign for mentally healthy workplaces helps employers to achieve.

We support employers to manage and promote the mental health of their staff whether they are experiencing stress or living with a condition like schizophrenia.

We are here to help employers get a good mental health strategy in place. Sign up now to get free resources and attend webinars. 

<  Return to news