Ankylosing spondylitis - depression and unemployment

Ita826

Hello

My husband suffers from AS and is struggling to find employment. It has affected his mental health very seriously and he keeps getting rejected from all the job applications he is sending. Each rejection becomes harder to take and he gets deeper and deeper into depression without realizing it putting an immense strain on our family.

IS there anywhere in Cheshire we can get any help with mental health and also with finding employment? I have found a service that would be helpful but it's only available to Liverpool residents through the Brain Charity. The kind of help I'm looking for is actually getting people into work and not sending them to job centre which we all know is NOT helping anyone find work let alone people who live with a serious health condition.

Chris_R

Hi @Ita826

Welcome to the online community it is good you have found us.

You state that your husband has AS and is struggling to find employment and each rejection is harder to take and he gets deeper and deeper into depression,also its putting a strain on the family as it would do as it affects all because you all care and want the best for him.

I willtry and find you some links that may help

Get help | Helpline, online community, arthritis virtual assistant (versusarthritis.org)

Arthritis and depression: what you can do about it (versusarthritis.org)

Carers | Advice and support | Versus Arthritis

I do hope one of these links will help. please stay in touch and tell us how you get on.

All the best Christine

helpline_team

Hi @Ita826

Thank you for posting on the helpline forum. I am sorry to hear of your husband’s situation and the impact it is having on him and your family. I hope you found the links Christine posted helpful.

I have posted a link to Advice Local which may help you identify the sort of local support you are looking for regarding employment and disability.

The 2010 Equality Act makes it unlawful for employers to treat anyone with arthritis or a related condition less favourably than anyone who doesn't have that condition, in key areas, including the application and interview process. If you haven’t already found it, you may find it helpful to read more about his options and rights under the Equality Act 2010, and the programmes of support he may be entitled to, on the link below.

The Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) run a free and confidential helpline and webchat for men who need to talk about life’s problems, so they feel empowered to share their experiences and get the help they need before they reach the point of crisis.

Either or both of you are very welcome to call us on our freephone helpline: 0800 5200 520 so you can talk things through with one of our helpline team. We can offer more tailored support around the impact that the condition is having on your husband’s mental health.

I hope this is helpful.

Best wishes

Mags

Helpline Team

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/living-with-arthritis/work/

https://advicelocal.uk/

https://www.thecalmzone.net/