Almost everyone out of work wanted to be in it
Thirty-five people with bipolar disorder, employed and not. The groups did not differ clinically. What differed was the barriers they perceived, and what helped was support and flexibility.
The claim
“People with bipolar disorder don’t want to work.”
Contradicted Fifteen of the sixteen unemployed people in the study wanted a job.
- Study
- Cross-sectional survey
- Sample
- 35 adults
- Peer review
- Yes
- Funding
- None declared
Filia KM, Cotton SM, Watson AE, Jayasinghe A, Kerr M, Fitzgerald PB. Understanding the barriers and facilitators to employment for people with bipolar disorder. Psychiatric Quarterly 2021. doi:10.1007/s11126-021-09931-w.No funding and no conflicts declared.
What kind of paper this is
A cross-sectional study of 35 adults with bipolar disorder in Melbourne, 19 employed and 16 not, measured on demographics, functioning and illness characteristics, then asked which common barriers and facilitators to employment applied to them and how much each had mattered.
What it found
The employed and unemployed groups did not differ on demographic or clinical measures. Absenteeism, losing the last role, and most perceived barriers were attributed to mental ill-health. Of the unemployed, 93% said they wanted to work. The unemployed group perceived more barriers; the facilitators people endorsed were increased support and flexible work strategies.
Table view
| Group | n |
|---|---|
| Employed | 19 |
| Not employed | 16 |
Table view
| Category | Share |
|---|---|
| Wanted employment | 93.3% |
What it did not find
Thirty-five people, one city, one point in time. It cannot show that the barriers caused the unemployment rather than following it, and “flexible work strategies” is reported as a perception, not tested as an intervention. Treat it as a well-described map of what people say stands in the way, not as proof of what removes it.
What you would change on Monday
Ask for the flexible thing by name. The study’s facilitators are support and flexibility, and both are things an employer can grant in a sentence if you give them the sentence. The Work Protection Kit’s accommodation matrix and the Return-to-Work Pack’s short adjustments list exist to turn “flexibility” into a start time and an end date.
Where it sits in the tools
Corrections
None. To challenge a claim, email [email protected] with the specific line.
One paper, read for what it can carry. Not clinical advice; the editorial policy and medical disclaimer apply.