Facing the Challenges of Employment and Mental Illness
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© Copyright 2006, Mary Van Pelt, for individual use only. |
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| Five years ago my life changed dramatically when I experienced job discrimination based on my diagnosis. I was forty-five years old with a college degree and twenty years experience in the field of Human Services. I pursued help from the Americans With Disabilities Act and was referred from one person to another until, six months later, I ended up where I began. I learned that people with physical impairments such as the deaf, blind, mobility impaired, or developmentally disabled have won more legal ground than people diagnosed with mental illness.I live in a small rural community where there is much competition in a limited job market. After discrimination ended my career I sought help from many agencies including Job Services and Vocational Rehabilitation. I was offered a series of minimum wage jobs, dishwasher and fast food clerk, the kind of unskilled labor I did before graduating from college. One employer, in a shadowy attempt to offer hope, explained to me that I should think of these jobs as “a bridge” to something better. “I’ve already crossed four bridges,” I replied. It felt like the bridges were taking me backward, not forward.
Declaring ones illness to a perspective employer is a multifaceted problem, and not declaring is equally problematic. Many people reach a point in their recovery where they must hide their illness in order to stay employed in the competitive market. The energy it takes to conceal mental illness can bring on physical illness, for me it was lower back pain. For decades I was proud of my ability to hide my “invisible illness” but as I grow older and wiser this is no longer possible. To maintain my wellness I need to manage my own stress level and this means having flexible work hours. Self-employment is one answer, it fits my independent and creative spirit but is not without its share of dilemmas and limits. Because of the injustice I experienced I speak out for the need for sustainable and meaningful employment for people diagnosed with mental illness. I am no longer willing or able to hide. To learn more about my story and my work please visit my website at www.insilenceispeak.com. I’d love to hear how you manage the dual edged sword of employment and mental illness. You may respond to this article by writing me at mary@insilenceispeak.com. |
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© Copyright 2006, Mary Van Pelt, for individual use only. |
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