Living with Anxiety Disorders--Unemployment as a Barrier to Social Inclusion

Individuals living with anxiety disorders often face significant obstacles in their day to day lives. While trying to manage the physical and emotional symptoms associated with these disorders can be a challenge, sufferers also encounter barriers by way of social exclusion from key life domains: family life, relationships, education, employment and community and civic engagement. One of these life domains--employment has the ability to promote social inclusion and social connectedness and can improve health and wellbeing. It is observed that individuals living with mental health disorders are overrepresented in the unemployment population. This paper addresses the challenges anxiety disorder sufferers encounter, the way unemployment acts as a barrier to social inclusion and strategies to promote social inclusion through employment for individuals living with anxiety disorders. [For the complete Volume 13, Number 1 proceedings, see ED568595.]