Barriers to employment for individuals with mental illness and the implications for occupational therapy practice: A systematic literature review

Work is an integral part of life. Work provides the opportunity to gain a sense of accomplishment, build self esteem, and provides a medium to showcase one's abilities and skills. Work identifies who we are as a person. Conversely, unemployment often has a negative impact on identity and self esteem. Some people find it more difficult to obtain and maintain competitive employment than others.;Individuals with mental illness face many barriers to employment. The purpose of this systematic literature review was to determine what the literature describes as barriers to work for this population. A search of databases resulted in identification of thirty articles that addressed this issue. Eleven different types of barriers were described as negatively impacting a person with mental illness in his or her search for employment. These barriers were: the negative stigma of mental illness, negative outlooks of employers, caregivers, and professionals, impact of symptoms, low wages, poverty, employment disincentives of Social Security, lack of education and training, medication side effects, lack of job support and job development, job stress, and the co-occurrence of barriers. Identification of these barriers may help occupational therapists to develop more effective interventions for people with mental illness who wish to obtain employment.