Mental block

Some employers accused of discriminating against workers seeking psychiatric treatment By Emmanuel Joseph A senior official at the Psychiatric Hospital is reporting that some employers are discriminating against workers and potential employees who seek professional help for mental health issues. Describing the situation as a sad one, Consultant Psychiatrist with the Psychiatric Hospital Dr Joy Sue disclosed on Monday that one company went so far as to question prospective employees whether they had ever been admitted to the Black Rock, St Michael institution. Minister of Labour, Social Security and the Third Sector Colin Jordan has promised to look into the matter. “I have not been made aware…. The [Labour] Department has not indicated that to me but I will ask a question,” Jordan told Barbados TODAY in an interview. However, Dr Sue contended that the labour laws were not being enforced to help workers who are trying to manage their mental health challenges. The psychiatrist at Barbados’ only public mental health institution expressed particular concern about people who could be deprived of employment because they had done the right thing in seeking treatment or counselling. “The sad thing about it is that there are some employers that are like that, that if they find out there will be discrimination…. [They will say] ‘This person is dangerous’ or some ridiculous thing like that. So some employers out there still don’t understand and so they are not very tolerant of it,” Dr Sue said. “Someone was telling me recently about an employer who changed their job application to ask if the person has ever been admitted to the Psychiatric Hospital. I have never seen something so specific on a job application before. You can ask if the person had any mental health issues, but have they ever been admitted to the Psychiatric Hospital? That’s ridiculous,” she declared. “So there is still a lot of discrimination out there and, unfortunately, I think our organisations that are supposed to address these things… I don’t know if they are understaffed or what.” Dr Sue said the unfortunate position adopted by these companies poses another challenge for prospective workers concerning the information they provide. “It’s a catch-22. If you tell them upfront when you are applying for the job that you have a mental illness, you might not get the job. But if you lie about it and they find out about it later, that is grounds for the person to fire you. So people are left with this very uncomfortable decision of ‘what do I do?’” the mental health specialist asserted. She urged employers to work with these individuals. “If you want persons to disclose the information, you have to understand what comes along. You have to be tolerant of what comes along with that. You can’t make a decision as to whether this person is a good employee based on whether or not they have mental health illness. That is the crux of discrimination. “Persons who have mental illness can turn out to be good employees because they are managing their illness. It doesn’t mean they are sick at the time. I think how people view mental illness is that you are sick all the time. That is not the case for the majority of people,” Dr Sue said. She disclosed that most clients were keeping up with their clinic appointments. However, she said, that was also proving to be a problem for some of those who were employed as their bosses were complaining about them “missing too much time from work”. “You don’t want to give the person time to come to the clinic, but that is the same thing that is keeping that person well,” she pointed out. However, the mental health expert acknowledged that there were some employers who were supportive of their workers’ decision to get treatment at the Psychiatric Hospital. “There are some companies out there that I have to say from day one, they have been good, they have been supportive, they give the employees the time off. In fact, they might even call and say ‘XYZ’ is supposed to come today. They have a relationship with us and they ensure that that person is getting their medication,” she explained. Dr Sue also expressed concern about another matter – young people being discouraged from seeking treatment for depression or other mental health problems. “Often young people want to come forward and get help and sometimes it’s the older persons who tell them don’t go – their parents, their grandmothers, telling them ‘don’t go, you won’t get a job’, and discouraging them. Or the other thing is if they come to clinic, they tell them ‘don’t take that medication…it’s mad people medication…that medication is going to send you crazy’,” she disclosed, noting that while stigma attached to mental health problems was more persistent among the older generation. Overall, Dr Sue said more young women than men were seeking professional help for their mental health concerns. Discussion surrounding mental health issues has intensified in recent weeks following several apparent suicides. emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb]]>