How is unemployment among people with mental illness conceptualized within social policy? A case study of the Ontario Disability Support Program

Work ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 121-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca E. Gewurtz ◽  
Cheryl Cott ◽  
Brian Rush ◽  
Bonnie Kirsh
2020 ◽  
pp. 104420732094460
Author(s):  
Pamela Lahey ◽  
Bonnie Kirsh ◽  
Emile Tompa ◽  
Joy MacDermid ◽  
Rebecca E. Gewurtz

There is a lack of empirical data on the experiences of people with mental illness (PMI) who transition from welfare to work, or how policy programs are designed to facilitate this outcome. We explore the factors that facilitate or hinder PMI from exiting disability income support programs in Ontario, Canada. Drawing on a grounded theory approach, we examine the process of exiting the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP). Data were collected from semi-structured interviews with current and former recipients with mental illness, service providers who support current and former recipients, and ministry staff. A metaphor for the work exit process emerged with four embedded themes: (a) picking yourself back up, (b) breaking the rules to get ahead, (c) stabilizing illness for employment success, and (d) displaying resiliency and resourcefulness for successful exits. The main finding is that system supports are not the determining factors in a successful transition. Rather, participants describe how recipients exit for employment by leveraging personal resources to successfully transition off income support benefits. A system redesign is needed to address the inherent tension between social and health programs if the policy intent is to promote successful welfare-to-work transitions for PMI.


Author(s):  
Maria Benedetta Gambacorti-Passerini

<p><em>The paper specifically reflects on educational work in the area of mental health, on the basis of an empirical research designed to explore the interaction between medical and pedagogical interventions in two Italian mental health contexts.</em></p><p><em>The study design was qualitative (Denzin &amp; Lincoln, 2000); specifically a phenomenological-hermeneutical method (Van Manen, 1990) and a case-study strategy (Nagy &amp; Leavy, 2011; Yin, 1994) were adopted. </em></p><p><em>An analysis of educational work in healthcare contexts was carried out, with a focus on the particular knowledge, professional role and professional practices that identify educators in this field.</em></p><p><em>The case study pointed up critical and specific characteristics of educational action in the mental health services, which is aimed at striking a balance between the dimensions of caring for, and developing the skills of, people with mental illness.</em></p><p> </p>


2021 ◽  
pp. 136346152110096
Author(s):  
Aliza J. Hunt ◽  
Robert Ern-Yuan Guth ◽  
Diana Setiyawati

Forcible restraint and confinement of persons suffering from mental illness occurs throughout the world, including in Indonesia. Since 2010, when Gerakan Bebas Pasung (GBP) or the Indonesian Freedom from Forcible Restraint ( Pasung) of Mentally Ill Persons movement was launched, national policy has been published to eradicate Pasung in Indonesia by improving the mental healthcare system. This article analyses this policy, specifically the National Mental Health Legislation (2014) and the Ministry of Health Regulation Tackling Forcible Restraint of People with Mental Illness (2017), and evaluates their current state of implementation through a local, in-depth case study. Using mental health institution mapping, two sets of semi-structured qualitative interviews with government officials and healthcare workers, and participant observation in a facility practicing Pasung, we identify the extent to which the 2017 regulation has been implemented in Winong village and discuss current efforts and persistent obstacles to eradicating Pasung. We suggest that despite reforms and the new treatment facility in our case study, the continuing use of Pasung is due to a combination of access to care issues and a widely held explanatory model of mental illness characterized by strong curative beliefs that, when disappointed, lead to a sense of threat and hopelessness.


F1000Research ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 26
Author(s):  
Noor Ashikin Mohd Rom ◽  
Mohamad Lusfi Yaakob ◽  
Nurbani Md. Hassan ◽  
Hani Suhaila Ramli

Background: Extreme poverty can result in people barely surviving with poor living standards to the extent of living on the streets, often in fear. With limited access to healthcare services and a clean environment, they are more vulnerable to life adversities. Highly stressful living conditions like these can cause mental illnesses such as depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, psychological distress, and others. Purpose: This research aimed to investigate factors that led to the development of mental illness among homeless people under extreme poverty. Design/methodology/approach: This was a qualitative case study that involved a face-to-face interview with a key informant at the Pertubuhan Kebajikan Villa Harapan Melaka (Villa Harapan). Villa Harapan is a licensed caretaker centre established by the Department of Welfare, Melaka that provides shelter to homeless people with mental illness. Findings: Homeless people suffered from mental disturbances due to loss of jobs, lack of income, broken families, separation from their children, and other vulnerabilities. They are not getting appropriate care and attention for their problem and sickness. Non-supportive family, extreme poverty, and chronic stress were the main factors that led to mental illness among Villa Harapan residents. Research limitations: The study focused on the mental illness of dispossessed people who were brought to Villa Harapan by the Welfare Department. Originality/value: This was an empirical case study on mental illness among homeless people at a care centre known as Villa Harapan.


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