Employment and serious mental health disabilities

Abstract

Serious mental illness (SMI) includes a range of mental disorders characterized by symptoms and impairments that are severe enough, and of a long enough duration, to significantly interfere with the capacity to function and adapt in important domains of daily life (Kelly 2002). SMI is not diagnostic specific, although it often includes mental disorders in which psychosis is a prevalent feature (for example, schizophrenia). A broader range of mental disorders would be included in the categorization of serious mental illness if they had a significant and long-standing impact on daily activities and social participation. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.