MENTAL HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT: - libdoc.who.int - World ...

disparities in unemployment rates exist between people with mental health conditions,
people with physical impairments, and the general population.
Surveys show that the vast majority of people with mental health conditions would
like to be employed, 128 but stigma, discrimination, and lack of professional experience
prevent them from doing so. Rates of discrimination among people with
schizophrenia seeking employment are high and consistent across countries of
varying income levels. 129, 130, 131 In a cross-sectional survey of 732 people with diagnosed
schizophrenia across 27 countries, 70% were unemployed, and almost half
experienced discrimination in finding or keeping work. 28 A number of studies
have indicated the reluctance of employers to hire people with mental health con-
132, 133 ditions.
Mentally ill people […] get the thin edge of the wedge because they’re
not participating in tilling the fields, looking after the goats and the
cows… and so this is a real dilemma,… and they’re very often just locked
up in a hut at the back of the village and very often neglected, because
there’s a lot of ignorance about mental health.
—Statutory board member, Health Professions Council of South Africa 108
People with mental health conditions are denied employment opportunities in comparison
to the general population.
22 MentalHealthandDevelopment:Targetingpeoplewithmentalhealthconditionsasavulnerablegroup
Global Initiative on Psychiatry