My brother loves to work.

He says working helps him feel like he’s not a burden (though none of us feel he is one). He wants to be able to help him and his girlfriend’s finances and it helps his self-confidence and self esteem no end. Otherwise when he’s well and stuck at home, he’s bored out of his mind and the negative symptoms get worse.

He likes working so much that when he is in work, he often gets up at 5am so he can arrive really early for work, gather his thoughts, and get ready to focus straight for 8 hours or more.

I’ve often been round his house at night when he’s been pacing around getting organized for work the next day - setting his alarm and going to bed early – while I stay up chatting with his girlfriend, get trashed and have to face work on a major hangover the next day figuring if I’m at half pace that’s okay.

But that wouldn’t be good enough for my brother – he feels so lucky to be working that he wants to do the absolute best job possible.

Recently he’s felt ready to work again, and has started looking around and applying for jobs - but this time it’s different.

This time he’s declaring his diagnosis.

He’s chosen to do this because he worries what will happen if an employer finds out later and sacks him for non-disclosure. He says he’ll feel more secure and confident if he’s upfront about it and they employ him anyway.

I’m really proud of him for being so brave – I called him this week and he was sitting on the sofa feeling miserable but he was still going to go online and look for jobs to apply for. So even in the midst of anxiety and lack of confidence, he’s doing proactive stuff to help himself find that job he wants so much.

But bravery isn’t always rewarded.

And I’m getting angrier and angrier because, guess what, he’s not getting very far – not through lack of effort but because of pure and simple discrimination – even though it’s against the law.

I could tell you about what’s happened with a couple of his applications that has made me almost incandescent with rage, but I don’t want him to worry if he read this that he might be identified by the stories.

All he needs is a break. Just one person in one organization who’s prepared to take the chance and in return get someone who will be dedicated to their job and really delighted to be there. And who will be more than capable of getting the job done.

Just one person to see past a diagnosis to the person behind it.

I know I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know. And I’m not surprised this is happening. It’s just that right now it breaks my heart when I ring him up and he tells me how miserable he’s feeling because no-one will give him a chance at the moment. Because as his big sister, I just want to make it alright for him.

I tell him not to give up hope, that if he makes enough applications and does some voluntary work that someone, somewhere will give him that break – it’s just a matter of time.

And I’m sure I’m right.

It just seems so wrong that someone who’s shown such bravery in dealing with his illness and who is more than capable of doing the jobs he’s applied for, should now have to try a hundred times harder than other people – just because of stigma and ignorance among employers.

Talk about a double whammy.