Serving Jobseekers with Psychiatric Disabilities.ppt

Serving Jobseekers with Psychiatric Disabilities DOL/CRC Conference Washington D.C. August 25, 2005 The Value of Work “ the right to employment is as much a symbol of full citizenship in modern society as is the right to vote” (Fabian, 1999) “Our work, our recreational and leisure pursuits, our friendships, our membership in our community, all of these are linked to one another. What happens in one area affects the others. (Hagner, DiLeo, 1993) The Value of Work “IT IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO MAKE YOUR OWN FUTURE WHEN YOU ARE NOT PART OF THE ECONOMIC FABRIC OF THE CULTURE YOU LIVE IN” PATRICIA DEEGAN 20th World Congress Rehab International: Oslo, Norway JUNE 2004 Role of Work in Recovery Individuals with severe and persistent mental illness who say that they want to work 60 - 70% Are currently working = less than 15% (The facts about Mental Illness and Work, Matrix Research Institute, Philadelphia, Pa) Role of Work in Recovery (cont) Mental health consumers spend 14% of the day in productive activity compared to 39% for the general population (Krupa, 2001) Consumers who work utilize mental health services less and improve their social skills and presentation. It is tied to an increase in self esteem and self confidence (Bond et al, 2001) THE FACTS ABOUT MENTAL ILLNESS AND WORK There are over 3 million working age adults with psychiatric disabilities of whom 70% to 90% are not employed Psychiatric disability is the largest single diagnostic category among working-age persons receiving Social Security Administration SSDI/SSI disability benefits (27%/36% as of 2001) THE FACTS ABOUT MENTAL ILLNESS AND WORK Studies have shown that the great majority of people with serious mental illness want to work A diagnosis of serious mental illness is not a reliable indicator that someone can not work (Bond, 2004) CHICAGO STATISTICS Almost 75,000 people in the Chicago area have mental disabilit