+xI have decided to go back to work after spending 4 month on a mental health ward this year. I have convictions for ridiculous things dating back to 2013 mainly to do with having been in a dire situation and losing it. Each of my cautions and convictions usually led me straight to the psychiatric ward for things like criminal damage and starting fights and swearing in the street when unwell. This year after getting myself together i landed up in trouble for my behavior again, after having worked for years and spent some time in the cells over night i was carted to the hospital again where i threw a metallic coffee jar and was convicted after years of a clean record for battery (while in hospital.) I have a good work history and lots of experience, despite these bouts of insanity and misfortune and want more than anything to get a job again after having been out of work for almost a year. I had two phone interviews the other day ago and have been offered interviews. I havent been asked to disclose yet and know that i have one unspent conviction as well as a host of others from years back. I really hope the employer doesnt ask at interview, but if they do im going to have to explain. I really dont know how to go about this in short. I have a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia, but i am now fully medicated and look after myself very well. This is really the first time after years that i have recieved a reason for why i have lost it in the past, but i really dont want to live on thin air and am not yet eligible for benefits. I want more than anything to get routine back in to my life. How would you suggest i approach this? Well, the first thing would be making sure exactly what you need to disclose if you are asked. For most jobs, that means only unspent convictions. If you're not sure, you can get a free copy of your police record here, and Unlock can help you work out what you need to disclose. After that, it comes down to how you go about disclosure. For a job that has a basic DBS check, you don't have to disclose unless/until you're asked. When you do disclose, it's probably best to have a self-disclosure statement that you can hand over at the same time, to support what you're telling them. You can even just hand it over, make a basic statement and invite questions about it. That gives you a chance to add context to the disclosure and explain what was going on for you at the time, especially in terms of your mental health. After that, you can tell them the good stuff about yourself - education, training, qualifications, work, family life, community involvement (including religious worship if applicable to you). Don't be afraid to tell them about your mental health, and make it clear to them that you're now properly medicated and you're putting the past behind you and moving on. Unlike having a criminal record, mental health is a protected characteristic, so they shouldn't discriminate against you because of it. Good luck! 
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If you are to punish a man retributively you must injure him. If you are to reform him you must improve him. And men are not improved by injuries. (George Bernard Shaw)
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