Review Article
Year: 2020 | Month: October | Volume: 7 | Issue: 10 | Pages: 394-401
Employment Status of Persons Living With Mental Illness in India: Ground Reality
Sushma Kumari1, Gita Jyoti Ojha2
1Senior Psychiatric Social Worker, Department of Psychiatric Social Work, R.N. 109, Old faculty building, Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS), Dilshad Garden, Delhi-110095
2Occupational Therapist, Department of Occupational Therapy , Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS), Dilshad Garden, Delhi-110095
Contribution: Both authors have contributed equally in the conceptualization, drafting, writing, analysis, and references
Corresponding Author: Sushma Kumari
ABSTRACT
The main aim of rehabilitation is vocational independence and community integration. Rehabilitation is complete with the person being a productive member within the community. But this is quite a challenging task as can be vouched by any of the professionals working in this field. What are the barriers and facilitators towards employment or return to work in case of persons living with mental illness? Literature shows that multiple factors are governing the ability to take up gainful employment. Most of this literature is about the western world where the social fabric is more supportive of individual autonomy. India lags in its rehabilitation efforts for mental illness. There is still stigma and lack of awareness about mental illnesses. This increases the problem of unemployment within persons living with mental illness manifold. There are very few detailed investigations into the vocational status of persons with mental illness and almost negligent literature existing in the Indian context. Hence, the current review article tries to examine the factors prevailing in the Indian scenario that influences the employment status.
Keywords: Employment, Return to work, mentally ill persons, Vocational rehabilitation, Persons with Disabilities
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