Maintaining my employment: Learning from people living and working with mental illness

Introduction Engagement in occupation, including employment, is central to mental health recovery. However, evidence demonstrates that people living with mental illness struggle to maintain their employment. The aim of this qualitative study was to gain a rich understanding of the experiences of people living with mental illness who have managed to maintain their employment, and specifically, the strategies they actively choose and use to stay in work. Method Semi-structured interviews explored the perspectives of 10 people living with mental illness who were successfully maintaining their employment. Data were analysed using constant comparative analysis. Results Participants described maintaining employment through a conscious and active process of using individualised combinations of specific strategies within the broader categories of: identifying and connecting with helpful people; looking after all of me; having a job that fits with who I am; staying motivated; positive reflection and re-framing; and choosing and using strategies in the workplace. Conclusion Occupational therapists might better support long-term employment outcomes for people living with mental illness by adopting a more recovery-oriented approach, facilitating people to actively identify, choose and use their own strategies to maintain employment.