Challenging Expectations: How Individuals with Psychiatric Disabilities Find and Keep Work

The results of this qualitative study involving in-depth interviews of 32 individuals with psychiatric disabilities document the importance of beliefs and expectations with regard to employment. Each of the participants were either currently receiving Social Security benefits or had received them in the past due to his or her psychiatric disability. The authors briefly describe the systemic and programmatic barriers to employment that study participants encountered. They discuss how negative beliefs and expectations concerning employment are imbedded within the policies and programs that impacted these participants. They also describe the representative experiences of three study participants who were successful at overcoming these barriers and maintaining employment. Finally, they identify and discuss some of the common factors that may have contributed to successful employment.