x-posted from GD.

[HereSince1628]

A sure sign of being on the road of recovery from mental illness is a job. Sixty percent of people receiving public assistance for mental healthcare want a job. Less than 2% are given opportunities via programs that involve employment subsidies.

Politicians want to talk about more treatment, psychologists want to talk about more treatment.

Maybe, just maybe, something else seriously helpful could be considered?


The following may be the most overlooked unemployment statistics in the United States:
They include persons receiving unemployment and persons dropped out of the labor force

2012 figures on unemployment among the working aged mentally ill by state.


Maine…92.60%
West Virginia…91.90%
Hawaii…91.40%
Pennsylvania…90.60%
California…90.00%
Alabama…89.10%
Massachusetts…89.10%
Missouri…89.10%
Louisiana…88.30%
Michigan…88.10%
Oregon…87.70%
South Carolina…87.60%
Georgia…87.10%
Washington…86.90%
Mississippi…86.20%
Minnesota…86.10%
Montana…86.10%
Texas…85.60%
North Carolina…85.20%
Florida…84.70%
Maryland…84.10%
New York…84.00%
Ohio…84.00%
Kentucky…83.90%
Nevada…83.80%
Illinois…83.20%
Arizona…82.90%
Rhode Island…82.60%
Idaho…81.30%
Utah…80.70%
Indiana…80.50%
Virginia…80.30%
Tennessee…79.80%
Connecticut…79.70%
Oklahoma…79.30%
Arkansas…78.80%
Colorado…77.80%
Wisconsin…77.20%
Delaware…76.90%
New Mexico…76.10%
Vermont…74.70%
South Dakota…72.00%
Alaska…71.40%
New Jersey…71.10%
Nebraska…70.80%
Kansas…70.20%
Iowa…68.40%
New Hampshire…67.30%
North Dakota…62.90%
Wyoming…56.10%

http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=press_room&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=169616

[cbayer]

1. This is tragic.

There used to be sheltered workshops and opportunities for people to work in settings that provided guidance and supervision.

But when the economy hit the skids, they psychiatrically ill are the first to go.

Hopefully we will see some reversal of this.

[HereSince1628]

2. Well, I change that to...Yes, there are programs.

They are often low hours low pay (I was offered $1.32/hour and 6 hrs a week over 4 days).

So they don't always generate a positive cash flow or do much to help the people they claim to serve.

[cbayer]

3. Back when things were a little bit better,

there were more opportunities for people to work and earn just enough money so they wouldn't lose their SSI.

For the most part, the people I knew didn't care as much about the money as they did the opportunity to be productive.

And many were terrified of exceeding the limit that would cut them off of SSI, because they never knew when they might not be well enough to work.

It's a bad catch 22.

[HereSince1628]

4. I suspect there are many reasons...why do you think agriculture states do relatively better?

Last edited Sun Nov 16, 2014, 09:13 PM - Edit history (1)