Abstract
Aims and MethodTo ascertain employers' attitudes to interviewing and hiring job applicants with a history of mental illness and, in particular, to assess the potential effect on job prospects for applicants with a history of admission under the Mental Health Act 1983. A postal tick-box questionnaire was sent to 174 companies; there was a 32% response rate.ResultsThe main factors influencing employers' hiring decisions were medical opinion regarding an applicant's fitness to work and their employment and sickness records. In about three-quarters of small companies and half of large companies, questions about mental illness are simply never asked.Clinical ImplicationsApproved social workers have no reason to caution people assessed under the Mental Health Act 1983 that being detained could harm their job prospects.
Highlights
Approved social workers have no reason to caution people assessed under the Mental Health Act 1983 that being detained could harm their job prospects
It is good practice for approved social workers to advise a patient that there could be implications for the future should they be detained under the Mental Health Act 1983
This research was motivated by the fact that, in our experience, it is quite common for social workers to tell patients who have been ‘sectioned’ that detention under the Mental Health Act 1983 could adversely affect their visa and employment prospects
Summary
To ascertain employers’ attitudes to interviewing and hiring job applicants with a history of mental illness and, in particular, to assess the potential effect on job prospects for applicants with a history of admission under the Mental Health Act 1983. A postal tick-box questionnaire was sent to companies; there was a 32% response rate
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