Peers as employees

Peer support within the mental health environment is that form of social or emotional assistance provided to a patient by another who has or currently is suffering from a similar mental health condition . When such a support is placed on the payroll of a mental health institution , he or she becomes a peer employee (Davidson , 2006 Solomon , 2004 . This sort of peer employee intervention , which is undertaken intentionally in to achieve a certain balance or change within the individual to whom the peer support is offered , comes with several benefits and challenges

. In theory , peer support has been considered beneficial because of its ability to provide experiential knowledge in the process of care-giving to the persons suffering from the mental health condition . The idea that helping is also in itself therapeutic is also a theoretical framework upon which peer support is built (2004 . In practice , peer employee support has in fact proven to increase the quality of life of the persons involved by expanding their social networking capabilities and their ability to function in a social group This has also allowed them to enjoy a more normal ' life , as some studies of manic depressives have demonstrated lower incidences of hospitalizations as well as shorter periods of hospitalisation as a result of peer-employed support (2004 . It has also led to a reduction in the anxiety and worry of such patients , as well as to improved adherence to medication regimens (2006 2004

Challenges arise from the fact that peer employee support...