The hidden barrier to employment: Untreated and undiagnosed post-Traumatic stress disorder

Persons with severe mental illness have unusually high rates of exposure to trauma as well as high rates of Post-Traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Further, research has indicated that persons with PTSD have more problems with obtaining and maintaining employment. This paper proposes that untreated and undiagnosed PTSD is a hidden barrier to employment for persons with severe mental illness. Additionally, this paper uses case examples to illustrate how PTSD symptoms negatively impact the supported employment process, and proposes a theoretical pathway and two case examples for how Cognitive Behavior Therapy may help to facilitate removing the hidden barriers to employment.