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The wrong kind of illness
The World Health Organisation suggests that “one in four people in the world will be affected by mental or neurological disorders at some point in their lives”. Last year, it produced a report on mental health that found “the vast majority of people with mental health conditions would like to be employed but stigma, discrimination, and lack of professional experience prevent them from doing so”. Rates of discrimination against people with schizophrenia seeking employment are high and consistent across countries of varying income levels...This week Mind, a mental health charity, released figures that showed one in five people who had disclosed a mental health problem to their bosses had been sacked or forced out of their jobs. The decision to disclose a mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar or recurring depression, to an employer is difficult...Suzanne Hudson, chief executive of MDF The Bipolar Organisation, points out that employers have misconceptions about mental health, particularly that such individuals will be off sick more frequently...Jonathan Naess,...founder of Stand to Reason, a mental health charity...cites Deloitte, the professional services firm, as having an innovative approach. It runs a mental health champions scheme, an initiative established by a partner who has suffered from depression. It encourages staff to discuss mental health problems with senior executives who have experienced it themselves. Such discussions are outside career appraisals. [also refers to former chairman of Pearson]