Employees with mental illness: A person‐centered review of their perspectives and experiences

Abstract In the United States, more than one in five adults will experience a mental illness in their lifetime. Many of these adults are expected to continue working during active periods of their illness and effectively manage the symptoms of their diagnosis. Research on mental illness and the workplace has increased over the last 10 years, but a significant portion of the extant literature focuses on how others perceive employees with mental illness or the organizational consequences associated with employing these individuals rather than studying the employees with mental illness themselves. Our systematic literature review synthesizes 66 empirical studies on the experiences of employees with mental illness and centers their perspectives as the main point of inquiry. By examining the lived experience of working while managing a mental illness, this review uncovers both individual and contextual factors that shape employees' work realities while also identifying affective and behavioral responses to these experiences. Within categories, there was a strong focus on understanding how mental illness symptoms impacted workplaces, interventions to assist employees in transitioning into competitive workplaces, and experiences of stigma. Researchers were more likely to study broad categories of mental disorders and take atheoretical approaches, which may limit the utility of research findings. We close by offering a series of considerations for future research in this field.