Maltese Man Who Came Out As Bipolar On TV ‘Grilled’ And Fired When He Returned To Work
Dr Nickie Vella De Fremeaux, wife of Opposition Leader Adrian Delia, has called out the treatment of a man who recently came out as living with Bipolar disorder.
“Your are an utter disgrace and I hope you will be named and shamed or in default, have the decency to recognise your harsh and unspeakable error in punishing this man because he is sick and give him back his job!” she said in the statement.
In a public Facebook post, she called out the ex-employers of a man who was “grilled and crippled” when he returned to his workplace after opening up about struggles living with the illness on public TV.
Calling this action “sickening and deplorable and ignorance at its best”, she asked that the man be returned to his job. As the official ambassador of StopTheStigma, she called on anyone with a job vacancy to offer it to this man.
Following the recent suicide of an escaped mental health patient from Mount Carmel, improving mental health has been on the minds of many Maltese people. Malta’s Eurovision representative, Christabelle, was even given the role of Special Ambassador for Mental Health by the President of Malta.
However, not everything has been positive. Many felt that a controversial ‘Mount Carmel taxi’ at the Nadur festival went too far, and now it seems that coming out and telling the world about your battle with a mental illness may lead to your employers firing you.
Since the news broke, Besedo Ltd, a previous employer of the man with Bipolar disorder, has released a statement saying that they were not the company that fired the man.
“Besedo Ltd is not the man’s last employer, and therefore not the Company which has allegedly dismissed him on discriminatory grounds. He appeared on local TV after he had left the company.
Besedo Ltd, a certified “equal opportunity employer” since 2012, commends him for his courage to beat the stigma and wishes him the best of luck.
If you feel the need to talk to someone about your mental health or about someone you care for, or are looking for more information, or simply need someone to listen to you, please call 179. Alternatively, visit www.kellimni.com to get in touch online.
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