In Reply to: Percentages of mentally ill? posted by Oldtimer on August 27, 2006 at 15:44:26:
Off the top of my head,I have only one statistic: Approximately 16% of the people in my state who receive MH services through the publically-funded system of care are employed full-time in competitive employment. We've been trying to get that number to increase for several years, but it seems to stay the same--for a number of reasons. One major issue is the potential loss of pubically-funded health care insurance if someone takes a job with an employer who does not provide health care insurance, or as is more often the case, the employer provides health care coverage with extremely limited MH benefits that won't cover the cost of treating the severity of a persistent condition. Another major issue with is the Department of Disability Services & Employment: They have a policy of creaming the most easily employed people with disabilities and leaving the tougher cases unserved. This boosts their stats and makes them look successful--which they are, in a sense.