Gordon64
26-07-12, 00:03
Just finished watching this. Anyone put off by the slightly sensationalist title missed a really interesting and thought-provoking programme.
Briefly 8 people were put in front of 3 prospective employers and also in front of two mental health "experts" with a view to seeing if they could figure out which of the 8 had had mental health issues in the past. Amongst the issues some had had were severe depression, eating disorders, OCD, Bi-Polar etc...
Not only did the "experts" frequently fail to make a correct diagnosis, the people chosen amongst the top 3 for potential employment were largely those who had experienced mental health issues. The employers admitted that they would initially, if in full posession of the medical history of the candidates, would not have employed some of the people concerned, though they changed their tune at the end.
Whilst always a bit cynical about reading too much into a one and a half hour TV programme, I admit I found it fascinating. I do have a vested interest, I am fortunate enough to be in employment with an employer I have worked for for many years, but have suffered severe depression on and off for at least 20 years, culminating in requiring psychiatric assistance 2 years ago-I do not wish to go into too much detail on this as I am moving forward but it is relevant.
I was off for a long time with this situation, my employer stuck by me. Many friends have said how lucky I am to have such a supportive employer-whilst I understand where they are coming from I should point out that a large proportion of the problems I had stemmed from work related issues and being put in situations work wise that I shouldn't have had to deal with so i have mixed feelings re this. But my point is should an employer not stick by a member of staff suffering from a mental health issue? Surely it is in their interest to look after their staff, and it is annoying that even though some stigma is being removed from mental illness, that many seem to be quite happy to throw someone with mental health issues on the scrapheap, or even not take them on in the first place.
A few things struck me regarding the people on the show-firstly they had a level of intelligence and insight that many people ignorant of mental illness would never imagine they could have. Secondly, just because someone has been seriously ill with mental health issues in the past does not mean they are permanently scarred by it or can't function in normal day to day life-I am aware that for many on this site mental illness is a monster that rules their life seemingly permanently and don't wish to underestimate how serious that is. I acknowledge that depression/anxiety is part of my life and without being defeatist accept it will always be there to some extent or other, but I am managing-and have managed for many years-to hold down a fairly responsible job and I believe strongly that so many of us in similar situations are treated grossly unfairly by employers who just won't give people with mental health issues a chance. It is almost as if once diagnosed with mental illness a person carries that tag with them for life.
As I stated earlier in my thread, I am wary of citing one TV programme, no matter how interesting or insightful it was, as a sign that things are changing for the better, But as somebody who worries that if I did attempt to get another job, that I would be discriminated against on the basis of past events which frankly were only a minute percentage of my life so far, I found this show uplifting and thought-provoking.
I thought I'd get it all down whilst it was fresh in my mind, if anybody else saw it would be interested in their feedback. Or just if you want to chat in general-haven't been on NMP for a while and going through an OK patch at the moment but it is a great site and I find it comforting to know there are so many out there feeling the same way.
All the best
Gordon
Briefly 8 people were put in front of 3 prospective employers and also in front of two mental health "experts" with a view to seeing if they could figure out which of the 8 had had mental health issues in the past. Amongst the issues some had had were severe depression, eating disorders, OCD, Bi-Polar etc...
Not only did the "experts" frequently fail to make a correct diagnosis, the people chosen amongst the top 3 for potential employment were largely those who had experienced mental health issues. The employers admitted that they would initially, if in full posession of the medical history of the candidates, would not have employed some of the people concerned, though they changed their tune at the end.
Whilst always a bit cynical about reading too much into a one and a half hour TV programme, I admit I found it fascinating. I do have a vested interest, I am fortunate enough to be in employment with an employer I have worked for for many years, but have suffered severe depression on and off for at least 20 years, culminating in requiring psychiatric assistance 2 years ago-I do not wish to go into too much detail on this as I am moving forward but it is relevant.
I was off for a long time with this situation, my employer stuck by me. Many friends have said how lucky I am to have such a supportive employer-whilst I understand where they are coming from I should point out that a large proportion of the problems I had stemmed from work related issues and being put in situations work wise that I shouldn't have had to deal with so i have mixed feelings re this. But my point is should an employer not stick by a member of staff suffering from a mental health issue? Surely it is in their interest to look after their staff, and it is annoying that even though some stigma is being removed from mental illness, that many seem to be quite happy to throw someone with mental health issues on the scrapheap, or even not take them on in the first place.
A few things struck me regarding the people on the show-firstly they had a level of intelligence and insight that many people ignorant of mental illness would never imagine they could have. Secondly, just because someone has been seriously ill with mental health issues in the past does not mean they are permanently scarred by it or can't function in normal day to day life-I am aware that for many on this site mental illness is a monster that rules their life seemingly permanently and don't wish to underestimate how serious that is. I acknowledge that depression/anxiety is part of my life and without being defeatist accept it will always be there to some extent or other, but I am managing-and have managed for many years-to hold down a fairly responsible job and I believe strongly that so many of us in similar situations are treated grossly unfairly by employers who just won't give people with mental health issues a chance. It is almost as if once diagnosed with mental illness a person carries that tag with them for life.
As I stated earlier in my thread, I am wary of citing one TV programme, no matter how interesting or insightful it was, as a sign that things are changing for the better, But as somebody who worries that if I did attempt to get another job, that I would be discriminated against on the basis of past events which frankly were only a minute percentage of my life so far, I found this show uplifting and thought-provoking.
I thought I'd get it all down whilst it was fresh in my mind, if anybody else saw it would be interested in their feedback. Or just if you want to chat in general-haven't been on NMP for a while and going through an OK patch at the moment but it is a great site and I find it comforting to know there are so many out there feeling the same way.
All the best
Gordon