Skip to main content
No access
Research Article
Published Online: March 1996

The economic life of seriously mentally ill people in the community

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The study examined economic disincentives and incentives to work among people with serious mental illness. METHODS: Fifty people with severe and persistent mental illness who were living in the community were interviewed about the amount and sources of their income and expenses. In addition, a randomly selected group of 100 people with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder was interviewed about work, income, and wage requirements. RESULTS: In the first sample, the mean total cash and noncash income of unemployed subjects ($929 a month), which was derived mainly from disability supports and rent subsidies, was only slightly lower than that of subjects with part-time employment ($1,028 a month). The limited difference was largely a consequence of reductions in entitlement income when subjects worked. To overcome these disincentives, most subjects in the second sample felt they needed to earn between $5 and $6 an hour to make working worthwhile. The mean monthly cost of psychiatric treatment for unemployed subjects was $2,083, compared with $910 for those with part-time employment and $292 for those working full time. CONCLUSIONS: The findings emphasize the importance of developing higher-paying jobs for this population and reforming entitlement programs to incorporate work incentives for the mentally disabled population.

Get full access to this article

View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.

Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Go to Psychiatric Services
Go to Psychiatric Services
Psychiatric Services
Pages: 270 - 274
PubMed: 8820550

History

Published in print: March 1996
Published online: 1 April 2006

Authors

Metrics & Citations

Metrics

Citations

Export Citations

If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.

For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu.

Format
Citation style
Style
Copy to clipboard

View Options

Get Access

Login options

Already a subscriber? Access your subscription through your login credentials or your institution for full access to this article.

Personal login Institutional Login Open Athens login
Purchase Options

Purchase this article to access the full text.

PPV Articles - Psychiatric Services

PPV Articles - Psychiatric Services

Not a subscriber?

Subscribe Now / Learn More

PsychiatryOnline subscription options offer access to the DSM-5-TR® library, books, journals, CME, and patient resources. This all-in-one virtual library provides psychiatrists and mental health professionals with key resources for diagnosis, treatment, research, and professional development.

Need more help? PsychiatryOnline Customer Service may be reached by emailing [email protected] or by calling 800-368-5777 (in the U.S.) or 703-907-7322 (outside the U.S.).

View options

PDF/ePub

View PDF/ePub

Media

Figures

Other

Tables

Share

Share

Share article link

Share