Mental health and the workplace

Research has shown that around one out of 10 people are affected by  mental health issues. But many employers are unwilling to employ people with mental health issues due to some misconceptions. However, a job can significantly ease one's mental health issues. It gives them a schedule to maintain. The symptoms of individuals with mental illnesses may worsen due to unemployment. Mental illness is now manageable, thanks to modern psychotherapy. Mentally ill persons are also assets for society and can do as well in the workplace as employees without mental health issues.

Many harbour the misconception that recovery from mental illnesses is not possible. However,  many functioning individuals with mental health issues are able to go through daily life without many hiccups. This is because treatment in the form of therapy and medicine can improve their condition to a large degree.

Many employers also believe that individuals with mental health issues cannot tolerate stress and may underperform at work. This is an oversimplification of the symptoms of mental illnesses. All workplaces are somewhat stressful for everyone and working conditions hugely affect how employees handle workload.

Another misconception is that mentally ill individuals are unpredictable, violent, and dangerous. However, the vast majority of mentally ill people are not dangerous at all. This myth has been reinforced by the media and its weak caricature of mental health individuals. So, let us try to come out of our collective backdated perception of mental illnesses.