Factors that Enables and Empowers People With Mental Health Disabilities to Gain Employment without Stigma

Abstract

Abstract: Given the importance of empowerment and enablement to people with mental health disabilities and their relatives, building trust and portraying genuine care through multidimensional socio cultural processes helps for better engagement and inclusiveness for people with mental health disabilities (Proter et al, 2015). The aim of this study was to find out factors that enables and empowers people with mental health disabilities to gain employment without facing much stigmatization.

This study, also examines the experiences and challenges from the point of acceptance, social inclusiveness, mental health professionals’ attitudes, widespread social discrimination and isolation towards people with mental health disabilities by the service users and consumers (caregivers and patients and/or individuals). The study designed was chosen to review literatures that shows the factors that can enable and empower people with mental health disabilities. From the 116 research materials found at the first search, less than half of them were found to be related at the title level and only ten of them were relevant enough for analysis. And most of the studies found and not considered for analysis were from the mental health recovery movement and developmental psychology perspective or therapeutic recovery topics. The strength and uniqueness of this study was reviewing majority of the articles discussing social inclusiveness, empowerment, building trust and facilitating trust through locating other trust social networks. Although involving families and other support networks/persons has previously been mentioned as a potential contributor to successful empowerment and enablement, this fact, could not be denied or swept under the carpet (Procter et al, 2015). Results shows multidimensional socio-cultural approach is needed to empower and enable people with mental health disabilities get employed and sense of belonging.