Elaine* presses the button to stop the ringing alarm clock and gets out of bed. As she makes her way to Mount Carmel Hospital, she tries to block out the problems which have become part of her daily life. These days she is just grateful to have somewhere to live.

"If I did not have this job, I would probably spend the whole day tossing and turning in bed, trying to sleep the hours away," she said.

Elaine's bubbly personality was crushed a few years ago when an acrimonious separation robbed her of both her physical and mental health, leaving her drained and barely able to cope with daily life. "I was crushed," she said.

Elaine started receiving mental health treatment, and soon started picking up the pieces. Then, as she improved, she became part of the mental hospital's rehabilitation programme which aims to give patients and former patients a job. She now works 20 hours a week as a telephone operator.

"At last I could start looking ahead, not just focus on my problems. Work allows me to forget, even if temporarily, my other difficulties," she said. She admitted that she could not imagine herself without the job at the hospital, which brings her into contact with new people and allows her to start rebuilding her life.

Louise*, another patient, also believes work at the hospital is helping her overcome her mental problems. "Suddenly, I had a reason to leave the house, a target which pushed me to do something. A job instils discipline and I started feeling useful, even because I'm earning some money," she said.

The mother-of-two said the rehabilitation scheme aimed to attack stigma, bringing patients in touch with society and giving them an aim in life.

"I feel part of society. It is good to get into a routine, wake up in the morning, dress up and go to work, which brings me in touch with new challenges and people. It keeps me away from solitude," she said.

The programme was launched six years ago when the hospital's management realised that many of their patients felt marginalised.

"Since they had no job and no income, they felt they were not contributing to society. Many suffered from an inferiority complex," Mount Carmel chief executive officer Edward Borg said.

The hospital management realised that rather than being idle, patients could use their time more positively. Apart from earning some money, they can meet new people and make friends. "Work gives them confidence, allows them to develop skills and helps them move on and find another job," he said.

Mr Borg said stigma still prevailed and many found it hard to land a job. Employers were also reluctant to keep employees with mental illness because they required long periods of hospitalisation.

He said after spending some time in rehabilitation, working within the sheltered atmosphere of the hospital, many moved on and continued their lives.

"There have been patients who continued with their studies, others sat for exams and went to work with the public service while others found a job in the private sector. There were businessmen who could no longer take care of their business while ill, and then returned to it." However, Mr Borg admitted that there was resistance from employers to give a job to people with a history of mental health problems. "Malta is small, and it is not an easy thing to hide," he said.

*Names have been changed