When checking references for a job applicant, employers may be reluctant or prohibited from saying anything negative, so leave or send a message that says, “Get back to me if you highly recommend this applicant as super great.” If they don’t reply take that as a negative.
"Capitalist realism insists on treating mental health as if it were a natural fact, like weather (and, incidentally, it is no coincidence that the mental health of so many deteriorates during the winter months)."