responsibilities. Publications available to the public from the Department of Health include:³²

*Mental illness: What does it mean? which clearly explains common mental health terms;

 

*A guide to mental health in the workplace which encourages employers to adopt health policies which address mental as well as physical health;

Sometimes I think I cannot go on anymore which raises public awareness of the nature of suicide and provides concrete recommendations for action;

*Sometimes I think I cannot go on anymore which raises public awareness of the nature of suicide and provides concrete recommendations for action; and

*ABC of mental health in the workplace.

Government efforts to prioritise mental health issues have been beneficial in terms of more services and greater public awareness. More agencies are providing mental health services in increasingly diverse settings, and local community services offer more flexible treatment. More emphasis has been placed on rehabilitation and re-integration into the community, including assistance with vocational training and employment.³³

The legislative and policy framework

 

In the UK, an array of policies and laws reflect the national approach to mental health problems and provide the legislative framework for addressing their impact on the workplace. These policies and laws do not focus specifically on mental health problems, but operate from the larger framework of all disabilities. The United Kingdom relies on employers to devise their own recruitment and retention policies and, under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA), gives employees with disabilities the legal tools to counter unfair practices in the employment process.³⁴ This report does not discuss all the laws and policies relating to people with disabilities, but highlights key legislation such as the Disability Discrimination Act and provisions of the Occupational Safety and Health Act relevant to mental health issues in the workplace.

THE DISABILITY DISCRIMINATION ACT (DDA) 1995

The DDA prohibits discrimination against a person with a disability in connection with employment, the provision of goods and services, and buying or renting land or property. Under the act, it is unlawful for employers with 15 or more employees to treat an applicant or an employee with a disability less favourably than others because of that disability.³⁵ This covers:³⁶

*application forms

*interview arrangements

*proficiency tests

*job offers

*terms of employment

*promotion, transfer or training opportunities

*benefits

*dismissal or redundancy

Although, the employment provisions of the DDA apply to employers of 15 or more people, all employers, irrespective of size, are encouraged to follow the government's Code of Practice on eliminating discrimination against people with disabilities in employment. The threshold of 15 employees will