You Didn't Choose Mental Health, It Chose You!

Do you know anyone that has some type of mental illness? “Mental health conditions place a massive burden upon the health of individuals internationally”( (Schofield, Callander, Shrestha, Percival, Kelly and Passey 2013). Mental illness is becoming more and more common, “One in five American adults experienced mental health issues”.  What exactly is mental illness? “A mental illness is a medical condition that disrupts a person's thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others and daily functioning. Just as diabetes is a disorder of the pancreas, mental illnesses are medical conditions that often result in a diminished capacity for coping with the ordinary demands of life” ((Schofield, Callander, Shrestha, Percival, Kelly and Passey 2013). The comparison they give is perfect, people with medical conditions such diabetes are penalized or looked at differently for having his medical condition. If someone find out someone has a certain disease they will feel sorry for them but if one finds out someone has to mental illness, that’s when all whispers begin to start.  So many people become afraid or worried of the unpredictable/ violent aspects that have been linked to people with mental illness. Which being unpredictable and violent is a myth, “the vast majority of people with mental health problems are no more likely to be violent than anyone else. Most people with mental illness are not violent and only 3%-5% of violent acts can be attributed to individuals living with a serious mental illness. In fact, people with severe mental illnesses are over 10 times more likely to be victims of violent crime than the general population. You probably know someone with a mental health problem and don’t even realize it, because many people with mental health problems are “highly active and productive members of our communities” (Www.mentalhealth.gov. 2014). I was interested to see how many people that are diagnosed with some type of mental illness are affected by income loss due to job loss or other things that could result in income decrease. “The labor force participation rates of people with a mental health condition are poor – people with a mental health condition have unemployment levels of 75–90% in the US” (Schofield, Callander, Shrestha, Percival, Kelly and Passey 2013). “People who retire from the labor force early due to depression and other mental health problems will face long-term financial disadvantage compared to people who are able to remain in full time employment” (Schofield, Callander, Shrestha, Percival, Kelly and Passey 2013). Why are they retiring early? Is it because they are not stable enough to stay in the work force or is because they are being pushed out by the society? This is what I wished articles expanded on, they talk so much about early retirement based on statics but they don’t get down to why exactly so many retire early. Because as the mental health government website talked about people with mental health conditions are just as capable to work compared with people that are perfectly healthy individuals.

How exactly does mental health effect ones income? There are so many myth and inaccurate information out there that mislead peoples’ thoughts about mental illness. For instance, “people with metal health needs, even those who are managing their mental illness, can’t tolerate the stress of holding down a job” (Www.mentalhealth.gov. 2014). Which is inaccurate, “People with mental health problems are just as productive as other employees. Employers who hire people with mental health problems report good attendance and punctuality as well as motivation, good work, and job tenure on par with or greater than other employees” (Www.mentalhealth.gov. 2014). “People with mental health conditions are recognized as being some of the most socially marginalized and economically disadvantaged members of the community (Schofield, Callander, Shrestha, Percival, Kelly and Passey 2013).” What does this exactly mean? When they talk about socially being marginalized, it is another term for social exclusion, being outcasts and socially having a disadvantage. They are being excluded and or blocked from the certain opportunities normal healthy individuals would be given. For instance, if a normal healthy individual is competing for a job against an individual that has mental health condition and that employer knows, the healthy individual will most likely get the job. But the sad thing about it all is that there is no way to prove that the employer choose the other individual over you because they will come up with a hundred different reasons to why they choose the other person. So these rules and regulations that are put into place to stop things from like this happening are still occurring regardless of what laws and regulations people put into place.

            As I began my research there was not many study or articles that talk about income but more of people that lose their job because of their mental illness. Which as everyone knows since its pretty much common sense, when you lose your job you also lose your source of income, resulting in a whole bunch of different issues. Having low income results in stressful times that can increase the risk of mental health (NIMH 2014)“It is well documented within numerous countries that people with a depression and other mental health problem are less likely to participate in the labor force” (Schofield, Callander, Shrestha, Percival, Kelly and Passey 2013. Why is this case? I wish the article expanded on why this is the result of people with depression. Is it because they get pushed out of the work force when people learn about their mental health conditions or is it because they can’t handle the stressful atmosphere of some work places? As stated above that isn’t the case, people with mental health problems are found to be just as productive then other employees. As I continued reading more and more articles talked about income equality, it became a more come topic to talk about and research. “US study showed that the prevalence of depression was significantly associated with income inequality – the more unequal, the higher the prevalence of depression” (Hiilamo 2014). Research studies have shown that “low socioeconomic status predicts mental health problems”( Hiilamo 2014). Having to live off pay check to pay check can be very stressful, not knowing where you going to get your food from or if your going to be able to afford this months rent. Can cause many burdens and stressful times on ones life. “Denver area in the US showed that poverty- related stress was directly related to symptoms of anxiety/ depression. The researchers labeled persistent poverty as ‘‘toxic for one’s psychological health’’ (Hiilamo 2014). As you get older you are more likely to get forced out of a company. If you have been working there longer and you are making more money than most, so if companies have to cut cost your most likely the first to go to save money. They will hire someone less inexperienced and pay him or her less, so that pushes the older adults out the door. As the retirement age is getting older and older most older adults have to find a job which becomes harder and harder for them. “The Pew report found that 29 percent of unemployed people 55 or older had been out of work for a year or more, compared with 18 percent of unemployed people between the ages of 20 and 44” (Older workers face long, frustrating job search. 2014). “The median duration of unemployment for older workers was 35 weeks in 2011, compared with 26 weeks for younger employees” (Why Older Workers Can’t Get Hired - US News. 2013). “Some employers may be reluctant to hire people who earned a high salary at a previous position, according to employment experts, workforce professionals, and focus group participants interviewed by GAO” (Why Older Workers Can’t Get Hired - US News. 2013). It’s difficult for an older adult to take a job with lower pay than their previous job. “county-level study showed income inequality to be significantly associated with depression among older Americans “ (Hiilamo 2014). The change in income can stress an older adult causing depression to arise. It’s difficult for one to go from a different salary that they have been used to for many years to than try to live off a salary that is drastically different, when they believe they deserve the same salary. Having watched my dad go through something like this, I have seen the emotional strain of not having a job can cause on older adults. We need to find ways to help older adults and stop our society from excluding them from the work force, just because they are getting older doesn’t mean they become incompetent. That goes for excluding people with mental issues, because the more we push them out the more issues it will cause for them.

Schofield, D. J., Callander, E. J., Shrestha, R. N., Percival, R., Kelly, S. J., & Passey, M. E. (2013). The association between labour force participation and being in income poverty amongst those with mental health problems. Aging & Mental Health, 17(2), 250-257. doi:10.1080/13607863.2012.727381

Www.mentalhealth.gov. (n.d.). Retrieved November 17, 2014, from http://www.mentalhealth.gov/talk/people-with-mental-health-problems/index.html

Older workers face long, frustrating job search. (n.d.). Retrieved November 17, 2014, from http://www.nbcnews.com/id/37448682/ns/business-eye_on_the_economy/t/older-workers-face-long-frustrating-job-search/#.VGkuOofGzKN

Why Older Workers Can’t Get Hired - US News. (n.d.). Retrieved November 17, 2014, from http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/planning-to-retire/2012/05/18/why-older-workers-cant-get-hired

NIMH · Home. (n.d.). Retrieved November 17, 2014, from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/index.shtml

Hiilamo, H. (2014). Is Income Inequality ‘Toxic for Mental Health’? An Ecological Study on Municipal Level Risk Factors for Depression. Plos ONE, 9(3), 1-8. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0092775