ABSTRACT
A survey carried out in a psychiatric hospital in the city of Bristol aimed to answer that question by finding out how many of the 60 service users in hospital on the day of the survey had lost their job as a result of experiencing mental health problems. The main reasons for people sliding down the slippery slope towards unemployment and being unable to extricate themselves revolved around a complete lack of focus within mental health services on supporting people in work to keep their job when they came into contact with services. Much of the evidence relating to barriers to job retention derives from research with people returning to the labour market after experiencing mental ill health rather than with those already in jobs. Studies have found that people experiencing mental health problems are likely to encounter discrimination on the part of employers and managers.
