The attitudes of mental health professionals on the employability of people with mental illness: A different view limiting employment rehabilitation.

OBJECTIVES: Mental health professionals are becoming increasingly involved in the process of employment rehabilitation of persons with psychiatric disabilities. However, few studies address the attitudes of these professionals toward the employability of those with mental illness. The aim of this research was to identify differences in the attitudes of medical and non-medical mental health professionals, as well as to detect any association between attitude scores and the type of professional. METHODS: A sample of 140 employees from public and third sector mental health organizations answered a questionnaire using a scale measuring their attitudes and views on the employability of people with psychiatric disabilities. The psychometric characteristics of the scale are provided together with the variations detected in the professionals' attitudes. RESULTS: This research shows that significant differences in the attitudes between medical and non-medical mental health employees exist and that there is a need for the implementation of educational programs that may help to improve the attitudes of medical professionals toward the employability of people with mental illness. CONCLUSION: This research indicates the importance of improving the professionals' attitudes to support people attempting to return to work.

Employment related barriers and facilitators for people with psychiatric disabilities in Spain.

BACKGROUND: People with mental health-related disabilities still experience difficulties in obtaining and maintaining a job. Previous international studies inform about employment barriers and facilitators but there is insufficient research in Spain. OBJECTIVE: To explore what type of employment barriers and facilitators were important for people with psychiatric disabilities with past work experiences in competitive and protected work settings. METHODS: In-depth, semi-structured qualitative interviews with 24 participants selected through purposive sampling. RESULTS: The personal sphere was the content most closely related to barriers, followed by the social environment. Facilitators were more closely related to the interviewees' social network, followed by elements in their personal sphere and job environment. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest the need to implement supported employment services in Spain to promote hiring people with psychiatric disabilities in competitive companies. The results also indicate the need to implement new services aimed at supporting the management of disability information during the process of obtaining and maintaining a job, while there is still a need to conduct anti-stigma and anti-discrimination campaigns.