Lack of mental health support rife in Australia
01/09/2011
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A study conducted by SANE Australia has shown that most Australians who suffer from mental illness do not receive enough support at work.
SANE Australia’s Working life and mental illness study has found that three quarters of its 520 survey respondents had never received information or help from government programs designed to assist workers to maintain their job.
Further, a staggering 95% of the charity’s survey respondents said their employers and workplace managers need to be educated on mental illness, and at the moment do not have the skills to effectively manage the affects in the workplace.
Despite 60% of survey respondents reporting their mental illness had not been a barrier for them finding employment, most said they had not received ongoing support once in the job.
SANE executive director, Barbara Hocking said that with one in five Australians suffering some form of mental illness, “‘the survey paints a concerning and unsatisfactory picture of Australian workplaces”.
Hocking said a major problem was the sheer lack of flexibility, and mental illness sufferers are not offered enough options relating to part-time work, occasional work from home, or having adjustments made on the work site itself.
“As a result, businesses lose experienced employees and have to spend time and money investing in new people,” she added.
Federal Minister for Mental Health, Mark Butler, has acknowledged that Australia employs fewer people with a mental illness than many other countries.
On its JobAccess website the government calls for the opening up of conversations in the workplace, and states that the greatest barrier that people with mental illness experience in relation to employment results from stigma and stereotyping among employers and co-workers.
When it comes to talking about mental illness in the workplace, JobAccess, a government arm which provides and workplace solutions for the employment of people with disability said on its website, “Removing the barriers to education, open discussion, flexibility and acceptance will ultimately allow those needing medical attention and social support to seek help and receive it.”
To open up conversations about mental illness in the workplace, JobAccess provided the following points of information:
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Bernie Althofer on
02 Sep 2011 10:52 AM
Having conversations about mental illness is much easier when workplaces have a culture that understands the significance of being proactive. In this day and age, many organisations have extensive support networks both internal and external where individuals can go for help. However, for some individuals working in support roles on a voluntary basis e.g. Peer Support Officers etc, might not be seen as 'beneficial' if managers and supervisors do not understand exactly what it is that is being provided. It is also difficult to have conversations about mental illness in some organisations when the culture is such that seeking help is seen as a 'weakness' and even as a career limiting move. It is also interesting that in some cases, admitting that one has an existing or pre-existing mental illness will be used against them in some cases e.g. workplace bullying or harassment. It is one thing to have policies and procedures and support networks in place, it is another to get workplace understanding of the impact of mental illness. Given the changes that are occurring in relation to the harmonisation of work health and safety, it is probably beneficial for organisations to look and both physical and psychological safety and well being of employees (at all levels). It might be the case that because people can't see mental illness, they also don't know what they can or can't say.
john on
05 Sep 2011 04:41 PM
Id say more of a lack of, "bad mental health" support,which so many don't want any part of, they're called the non compliant,so never mind lack of, i just wish that was us, 975 people under the care of Victoria's mental health system have died unnatural, unexpected or violent deaths between 2006 and 2010. That equates to
.08 people dying everyday,nearly one a day, and you want them to be more ready, for what? Your death or your insanity, take your pick.They've got both. Your call, or is it.
Sonia on
13 Sep 2011 03:47 PM
I think there should be an A List of employers who can be endorsed as employers of choice for individuals with a mental illness and similary a B list for outing those who dont respect and respond to employees with a disability. The A list would be those organizations that meet all flexible work guidelines as established by the government working with disability guidelines.