Work

Employment

Being in ‘good’ employment - where a person is well enough to work and has some control over their tasks - has been shown to benefit mental health. Despite this, mental ill-health accounts for the biggest group of people unable to work due to sickness; yet traditionally has the poorest outcomes through UK employability programmes.

SAMH provides a specialist mental health employability service called Individual Placement and Support (IPS). IPS is proven to be the most effective employment scheme for people with a mental health problem. We want the Scottish Government to make IPS available across the whole of Scotland, so that people out of work due to a mental health problem can access the support they need to get back into work if they wish to do so.

Read more about our views on employment for people with mental health problems:

• SAMH’s View on Employment
• Individual Placement and Support Programme – Economic Impact Assessment

If your mental health is affecting your work you can read our guide ‘How to be mentally healthy at work’.