Recovery and Rehabilitation of People with Mental Disability in Employment Services
Date Issued
2008
Date
2008
Author(s)
Shen, Shih-Han
Abstract
From “nut” to “people with mental disability”, the way modern society treats mental illness has gradually changed, people with mental illness was released from jail/hospital to community. At the same time, social services for people with mental disability has moved their focus to rehabilitation and recovery, instead of the framework based-on medical point of view. After scanning the existing psychiatric rehabilitation services in Taiwan, researcher found out that occupational therapy and employment counseling dominate the main market. Hence, this study took deepth interview as data-collecting method, sampling 7 persons with mental illness reside in Taipei City or Taipei County, have received employment services. Besides, according 6 professionals affiliated with a union organized by folk of people with mental disability in Taipei City, drawing the comprenensive picture of service presently. Attempt to delve into the 7 interviewees experience and clarity the functions of services to them. Further, pondering the meanings of employment to people with mental illness on their way to recovery. After analyzing the data collecting from 7 interviewees and 6 professionals, the result points out that: First of all, the programs have four meanings for interviewees, “equipping”, “stepping-stone”, “supporter” and “shelter/settlement”. But the service system has not come into a network, since the same functions appear in several types of programs, and these programs vary constantly. Mover over, there are a number of barriers about service admissibility, such as taking medicine regularly or holding certificate of disability. Secondly, the work image of people with mental disability is highly influenced by individual’s social and economic resource. Families which possess few social capital couldn’t support individuals with mental illness develop their own career, they “work for life” so the image of work just like their “Burden”; for those who symptoms overlap with individual’s traits, they often have serious difficulties to integrate into normal interpersonal relationship in workplace, work becomes the “substitute for institutionalization”; oppositely, individuals who obtain better conditions could expand the framework of their “work” to more matters, for instance, pursuing their education or participating voluntary service, they “work for accumulating-assets”; in addition, they “work for themselves” as work provides a new chance for them to “modeling a multiple self-image”. Third, once a person fall into mental illness, his/her social contact would usually block in family, hospital, service program and workplace. Interviewees show that families which have been referred to HEE clinically, often have a lot of issues and troubles between members, so the sicked member would lose the patient role in his/her family; about the peer in hospitals or community programs, they could become a good pattern or counter example for each other; then talking of the colleagues who have other categories of disability, because of the same position in workplace, they would apt to becoming competitions; as for the rest people they encounter in workplace, like the managers, partners or customers, more often than not treat them specially, no matter in nice or awful manner. Finally, about the time axis of “recovery”, the concept should be placed in the context of contemporary society, and carries a continuous implication of their future vision. In accordance with above, this study bring up certain suggestions:)Regarding service system, researcher claims to design a “policy-based”, “multiple values” and “customer-participating” model of service.)About the service providers, it will be a better perspective viewing service as “mental health” and “psychiatric rehabilitation” programs focus on the process than limited goals.)At last, following researches could explore different kinds of psychiatric rehabilitation service thorough, in view of the confused situation of present services.
Subjects
People with mental disability
Recovery
Rehabilitation
Employment services
SDGs
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