The Budget et alia

Yeah I know what you mean! I always found the disability return to work organisations far more hurtful that useful. What I find frightening about the budget too is likely increase in doctor fees; it already is costing more for bloods (recently got a $134 bill for basic bloods, when I complained they told me it was because they no longer had the funding to do it free and so everyone in Australia would have a fee for most blood tests), the cut in funding to mental health services is only going to have a negative impact on clients.

You are right - the employment organisations are hurtful. I thought they would be pro-active and go looking for employers willing to give people a try, given the workers are backed by the govt eg can work a number of hours and still receive DSP or part thereof.

We still need a voice for those who are willing to work. Offering jobs as cleaners is hurtful and lowers self- esteem even further.

As carers, we want to see our person gainfully employed. Putting in hundreds of applications with no result just depresses a person further.

Macktown

Yes Mactown, we are also concerned about this. We would like to see our loved ones (we have 2 loved ones with mental illness) find some part time work, as neither is well enough to work for more than a few hours. Both recieve the DSP and would find it really hard to survive without extra financial help from the family.

Both have tried hard to find work but its almost impossible and they would need some level of support in the workplace to be able to survive.

What worries us is that removing the DSP and putting them onto Newstart would create so much stress and anxiety in their lives, they would become ill and, at least for one of them, almost certainly need hospital admission.

We can safely say that our "bean counters" don't understand mental illness. On the other hand, if we had help to ease our loved ones into some kind of supported, meaningful work or study, we would be delighted!

Hi Mactown, It is extremely difficult to find any employer even willing to try out a person who has a mental illness especially Sz. Employers mostly think that persons with a mental illness will be disruptive to the workplace and not able to keep up with the pace of able bodied/minded workers. It is tough out there and almost impossible to find a job that is not so menial and degrading for a person with a mental illness. People with a mental illness could possibly work in a supported work environment but where is the support or the employer willing to take the risk????!!!! The work outlook for mentally ill persons seems to be terminally bleak!!!!

In my case, it was better to get the job first and then later on down the track to inform the employer about the diagnosis. Nothing wrong with this approach. You prove yourself first and they have no argument, misunderstanding or preconception to fall back on. Perhaps I'm making it sound easy. It's not, I'll grant that, but the approach works extremely effectively.