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Does having been on a ‘section’ reduce your chances of getting a job?

American University of the Caribbean

Dee O'Hanlon, Approved Social Worker

Chiltern Community Mental Health Team, Amersham

Danny Allen, Consultant Psychiatrist

North Wycombe Community Mental Health Team, 1 Cedar Avenue, Hazlemere, HighWycombe, Bucks HP15 7DW

Declaration of interest

None.

AIMS AND METHOD

To ascertain employers' attitudes to interviewing and hiring job applicants with a history of mental illness and, in particular, to assess the potential effect on job prospects for applicants with a history of admission under the Mental Health Act 1983. A postal tick-box questionnaire was sent to 174 companies; there was a 32% response rate.

RESULTS

The main factors influencing employers' hiring decisions were medical opinion regarding an applicant's fitness to work and their employment and sickness records. In about three-quarters of small companies and half of large companies, questions about mental illness are simply never asked.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

Approved social workers have no reason to caution people assessed under the Mental Health Act 1983 that being detained could harm their job prospects.