To ask if you can work in mental health if you have previously suffered metntal illness?

[Mybumissquidgy]

Sorry if this should have gone somewhere else but I couldn't think where to ask!

Does anybody know if its possible to work in mental health (specifically as a mental health nurse) if you have previously suffered from mental illness?

Yes of course. It would be viewed as discrimination otherwise.

Yes there are people in mental health with a history of mental health problems. The most important thing is that ur currently well. I think they will ask about in on the application, but they can't discriminate on the fact you have has say a bout of depression in the past

Yes you can......I have suffered mental illness and now work for mental health charity having started out as a support worker, now in management.

At least one of my colleagues in same boat.

Good luck if that's what you are planning

I would say its better but dont know the rules.

I am a trained youth worker and all the youth workers I know had trouble either with abuse, alcohol, drugs, crime, self harm etc. They are favoured as they had problems and over came them therefore can relate to the young people better.

Yes, you can. I have a history of depression, but I was able to train as an RMN with no dramas. In many ways it can be a bonus, as long as you are well at the moment, working in Mental health is stressful, and you need to take that into account.

A lot of people who have an interest in working with people with mental health problems have personal experience of mental health problems. People have a greater insight and empathy for mental health issues when (we know from reading on MN if nowhere else) that there are still prejudices around it.

I don't think it's uncommon at all, in fact I think some MH issues and the need to feel accepted, tend to drive some people to want to work in therapy/caring roles. I worked with someone who confirmed this when she went into training as a therapist. I don't think it's necessarily healthy for the client though - I've had a lot of experiences with therapy and looking back, I think some of the poorer experiences I had were with people who hadn't fully dealt with their own issues.

Thank you everybody! That's really good to know for the future. It's interesting to wonder if anyone who treated me has been in the same boat too.