Young Man ‘Fired For Being Bipolar’ Gives Damning Indictment On Malta’s Attitude Towards Mental Illnesses
A young Maltese man who was allegedly fired from his job as a customer service official because of his bipolar disorder has said his boss had hauled him into his office as soon as he found out about his mental health history.
“After I went public about my condition on Xarabank last month, my boss called me in to his office for a meeting and asked me why I hadn’t told him I was bipolar in my job interview,” Alessandro Salerno, 24, told Lovin Malta. “I was completely shocked, it’s not like I’m dangerous or anything. If I was abused as a child, I would have every right to hide it from my boss because it’s something personal.”
Salerno refused to name his former employer, citing legal advice not to do so, but confirmed he had only been working there for a few months. He said everything was fine at his new job, but everything changed after he was interviewed by Xarabank about his mental health.
“I could tell something was up, I’m used to people acting weirdly around me as soon as they find out I have bipolar disorder,” he said. “Besides, my employers started looking for a new customer service official which made me sense one of us was about to get fired. All of a sudden, my employers started demanding I give them letters from my doctors about my condition and about whether I was fit to work. After two weeks running after my doctor, he finally gave me a letter confirming I was fully fit to work in my job.”
Salerno’s case was first flagged by the Opposition leader’s wife Nickie Vella de Fremeaux
That notwithstanding, Salerno was given his marching orders shortly afterwards – with his employers telling him he wasn’t good enough for the job and that his attitude in the office left much to be desired.
Salerno confirmed his former company had an agreement with the Richmond Foundation to help staff with mental health problems, but said his company had never contacted the mental health NGO.
He said he wasn’t surprised at his firing, arguing Maltese society has a particularly negative outlook on mental health.
“When I used to live in the UK, no one cared that I was bipolar and I was treated the same as if I had diabetes,” Salerno said. “However, in Malta we’re treated like we’re crazy. It’s not just me…after I gave my Xarabank interview, many other bipolar people told me they were scared of coming out because they could get bullied or lose their jobs.”
The young man said his life experience has given him a calling – to raise awareness on the several Maltese people with mental health problems who are currently suffering in silence.
“Malta treats mental health patients well on a professional level, but I believe at least 90% of the cure must come from society,” he said. “In Malta, people believe we are the problem when the actual problem is society. People are still scared to reach out for professional help, which is why so many teenagers turn to drugs or alcohol or attempt suicide. I don’t know is society cannot understand us or just won’t understand us, but the real problem is that we’re finding it so hard to live and to establish ourselves in society.”
What do you make of Alessandro Salerno’s assessment?
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