Stigmatic and mythical thinking: Barriers to vocational rehabilitation services for persons with severe mental illness

Vocational rehabilitation programs have demonstrated limited success for people with severe mental illness (SMI). Reasons for this failure may be found in how rehabilitation professionals label and react to consumers with SMI. The purpose of this article is to address how this population has been stigmatized and neglected. Emphasis will be given to the effects of stigma, labeling, and myths as they relate to persons with severe mental illness. Special attention is also given to the need for qualified rehabilitation counselors to work in psychiatric rehabilitation.