Rebirth through supported employment.

In this column, the author describes how supported employment was a conduit for employment for him, and allowed for a remarkable journey of recovery, involving discovery and empowerment, incorporation, purpose, and belonging. After two decades of unemployment or underemployment, he began to see that work was possible through supported education at college, where he excelled. Federal and state grants paid for two thirds of his college education.

Requiring case management meetings to be conducted outside the clinic.

In this Open Forum a psychiatric health care consumer recounts his experience with his state's requirement to hold case management meetings outside of the clinic. Over time, the author found that meeting elsewhere amounted to being put on public display, and he felt embarrassed and powerless to change the situation. Requiring people with psychiatric disorders to meet outside a clinical setting may violate the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and human rights.

First person accounts of long-term employment activity among people with dual diagnosis.

Objective: Evidence suggests that many individuals with dual diagnosis of mental illness and substance use disorder can be successfully employed in competitive jobs, though there remain barriers and facilitators to consistent work activity in this population. The purpose of this study is to elicit and examine first person accounts of work activity over a 16-year period from people with dual diagnosis, who were not selected for employment readiness or vocational interests.

Methods: 120 people with severe mental illness and co-occurring substance use disorder participated in this study.