#Schizophrenia recovery success stories professional

Martin explained that he had had a breakdown caused by too much stress while he was at college. He asked questions about his education at school, his hobbies and pastimes and his qualifications and then came the bit that Martin had been dreading when the HR Manager asked him why he had dropped out of college.

#Schizophrenia recovery success stories professional

The Human Resources Manager who interviewed Martin was very professional but quickly put him at his ease. She made him feel welcome and even offered him a coffee (which he declined). But the receptionist was polite and could not have been more helpful. He made sure that he was punctual and well groomed and did his best to present himself well at the interview.ĭespite being really well prepared walking through the front door of the office was one of the hardest things that he had done for years. This gave him an opportunity to flick through his notes and prepare on some of the answers he had been working on. Then he went to Starbucks for a coffee while he waited. To be sure of being on time he left an hour early and checked out the location of the office. The day of the interview arrived and Martin was very nervous but he was up early and washed and dressed. This included a mock interview which he found particularly useful. He also went to the local library and took out some books on interview techniques and managed to get on a one day course on interview skills that the Jobcentre had told him about. Before going to the interview Martin prepared really well in advance by researching the company well and trying to anticipate the sorts of questions he would be asked. So over the next three months Martin kept in touch with the company by ‘phone once a month just to let them know that he was still keen on coming to work for them.įinally the company asked him in for an interview. He asked to speak to the person he had written to but if the person on the switchboard asked the reason for his call he simply said that he was calling to follow up a letter he had written.Īfter approaching about 20 employers in this way he finally found one who said there could be an opening for work experience in a couple of months time. Martin sent his CV and letter off to six employers and then waited about a week before calling them up on the ‘phone. Martin knew that it was essential that his letter and CV had the maximum impact. He also managed to get advice from a local back-to-work scheme recommended by the Disability Employment Advisor at the Jobcentre. It took him about a month to work up his CV and covering letter using books that he got from the local library. Martin had already spent a lot of time on his CV so now he compiled a covering letter to go with it. It is vital to be able to write to a named person rather than just the Human Resources Manager. Then he called the companies by ‘phone and speaking to the person on the switchboard checked that he had the correct postal address for them and asked the name of the person in charge of recruiting.

Next Martin researched local employers using the internet and the local press, looking for companies that might have vacancies in the sort of clerical and administrative work he thought he could do. She also told him that the scheme would pay his travel-to work expenses while he was on the placement. She was understanding and helpful and explained that a work placement would not affect his benefits as long as it was done as part of the Jobcentre’s own scheme. So Martin made an appointment to see the Disability Employment Advisor at the Jobcentre to discuss his plans. He thought that if he could do a period of work experience that would show prospective employers that he was capable of working again but he was afraid that if he did it might affect his benefits. He desperately wanted to get into work but found that employers treated his prolonged absence “on the sick” with suspicion. Martin had been out of work for several years following a prolonged psychotic episode which began when he was studying at university. Recent Developments in the Treatment of SchizophreniaĬase Study: Schizophrenia and Work: Martin’s Story.Religious and Spiritual Delusions in Schizophrenia.What can be done about depression in schizophrenia.Information for doctors and health workers.

Treatments for Paranoia in Schizophrenia.

Disclosure – telling other people about your schizophrenia.