Should people with a mental illness be given time off work?
Usually this is not the best long term option for the work place or the person experiencing mental health concerns. The study undertaken by Beyondblue (see Links page) points out that very often the best thing for a speedy recovery and to ensure that you do not loose a valuable employee is to keep the person at work and in their usual social environment. If a person is forced to take time off work, against their will, they may feel that it is too embarrassing to return to work when they are well enough to do so. If the person is able to stay in work, perhaps with some adjustments, then this is the better option. Some people do their best work when they are experiencing an episode of mental illness, e.g. most creative, most visionary, and most confident when experiencing mania.
