Mental Illness: NAMI Report Deplores 80 Percent Unemployment Rate; State Rates and Ranks Listed--Model Legislation Proposed

News provided by

Jul 10, 2014, 08:30 ET

ARLINGTON, Va., July 10, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- One of the best steps in recovery from mental illness is a job, but the national unemployment rate for individuals receiving public mental health services is approximately 80 percent, according to a report issued by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).

The states with the five highest levels of unemployed persons in the public mental health care system are:

Maine 92.6 percent
West Virginia 91.9 percent
Hawaii 91.4 percent
Pennsylvania 90.6 percent
California 90.0 percent

Approximately 60 percent of the 7.1 million people receiving public mental health services nationwide want to work, but less than 2 percent receive supported employment opportunities provided by states.

NAMI's, report, Road to Recovery: Employment and Mental Illness (www.nami.org/work), NAMI's report highlights model programs nationally and proposes model legislation for states.

One model legislative option is for a state to focus on Individual Placement and Support (IPS).
The other is Vocational Supports (VS), representing a broader comprehensive approach, including supported education.

"NAMI wants states to make a commitment to help people with mental illness to recover," said NAMI Executive Director Mary Giliberti. "Work is a critical part of recovery. As a nation, we still have a long way to go in recognizing that linkage."

"Work is tied to a person's sense of identity, dignity and worth in our society. Even during the recession, the national unemployment rate paled next to what people in the public mental health system routinely experience. We must do better."

Unemployed Adults with Mental Illness 2012¹
State	Unemployment Rate²	Rank
Alabama	89.1%	6
Alaska	71.4%	43
Arizona	82.9%	27
Arkansas	78.8%	36
California	90.0%	5
Colorado	77.8%	37
Connecticut	79.7%	34
Delaware	76.9%	39
Florida	84.7%	20
Georgia	87.1%	13
Hawaii	91.4%	3
Idaho	81.3%	29
Illinois	83.2%	26
Indiana	80.5%	31
Iowa	68.4%	47
Kansas	70.2%	46
Kentucky	83.9%	24
Louisiana	88.3%	9
Maine	92.6%	1
Maryland	84.1%	21
Massachusetts	89.1%	7
Michigan	88.1%	10
Minnesota	86.1%	16
Mississippi	86.2%	15
Missouri	89.1%	8
Montana	86.1%	17
Nebraska	70.8%	45
Nevada	83.8%	25
New Hampshire	67.3%	48
New Jersey	71.1%	44
New Mexico	76.1%	40
New York	84.0%	22
North Carolina	85.2%	19
North Dakota	62.9%	49
Ohio	84.0%	23
Oklahoma	79.3%	35
Oregon	87.7%	11
Pennsylvania	90.6%	4
Rhode Island	82.6%	28
South Carolina	87.6%	12
South Dakota	72.0%	42
Tennessee	79.8%	33
Texas	85.6%	18
Utah	80.7%	30
Vermont	74.7%	41
Virginia	80.3%	32
Washington	86.9%	14
West Virginia	91.9%	2
Wisconsin	77.2%	38
Wyoming	56.1%	50