Myths about Mental Illness and the Workplace

The following are major myths and facts regarding the impact of mental illness on the workplace.

Myth 1: Mental illness is the same as intellectual disability.

Facts: These are two distinct orders. A diagnosis of intellectual disability is chiefly characterized by mostly permanent limitation in intellectual functioning as well as difficulties with certain daily living skills. In contrast, among people with mental illness, illness is normally episodic, not permanent, and intellectual functioning varies as it does across the general population.

Myth 2: Recovery from mental illness is not possible.

Facts: Long-term studies have shown that the majority of people with mental illness show genuine improvement over time and lead stable, productive lives. For many decades, mental illness was thought to be permanent and untreatable. People with mental illness were separated from the rest of society through institutionalization in mental hospitals. As therapies and medications were discovered which helped alleviate the symptoms of mental illness, there was a gradual evolution towards the provision of treatment and rehabilitation services in the community.

Myth 3: Staff with a mental illness tend to be second-rate workers.

Facts: Employers who have hired people with a mental illness report they are higher than average in attendance and punctuality and as good or better than other employees in motivation, quality of work, and job tenure. Studies conclude that there are no differences in productivity when compared to other employees.

Myth 4: People with psychiatric disabilities cannot tolerate stress on the job.

Facts: This oversimplifies the complex human response to stress. People with a variety of medical conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, multiple sclerosis, and psychiatric disorders, may find their symptoms exacerbated by high levels of stress. However, the source of personal and job-related stress varies substantially between individuals. Some people find an unstructured schedule to be very stressful while others struggle with a regimented workflow. Some people thrive on public visibility or high levels of social contact, while others require minimal interaction in order to focus and complete tasks. Workers with mental illness vary in their response to stressors on the job. In essence, all jobs are stressful to some extent. Productivity is maximized when there is a good match between the employee’s needs and working conditions, whether or not the individual has a mental illness.