Should people with mental illness be required to disclose it to their employer?

There is no law saying any physical condition has to be reported to a company. Right to privacy issues will be compromised. I once overheard the HR manager of my company say "bipolar people are just lazy whiners". I've heard supervisors and work directors complain about the "abuse" of FMLA. Also you'll read all over the place about companies gossiping about employees. For example: you use your credit card to pay for your psychiatric bills. The company does a credit history on you before you're hired. People, by nature can't help themselves but to talk "out of school. Right to privacy goes down the same path as diversity and fair labor law. Anyone believing that is enforced is kidding themselves!

I think this is the same as if they have a record. They should but alot of times they don't. I personally don't think it should be any of their business. I had chronic depression and it got worse with trouble in the family that came to a head at one point. I had good medical insurance was able to take time off from work and get the help I needed.

No, not unless it will have a direct effect on your performance. You do not have to tell your employer if you have high blood pressure, are a diabetic, etc. and if it ILLEGAL for them to ask that information in a job interview. Of course, if you are subject to seizures and your job might require you to use heavy equipment, you should advise your employer to determine if you are physically able to do the job or not and whether or not an accomodation can be made for your illness. The same is true of a mental disorder that will affect your job. An example would be OCD that requires you to do a task over and over; if this will affect your ability to do your job you should tell the employer up front to determine whether allowances/accomodations can be made or not for the position. Otherwise, it is none of their business whether you have a mental illness, are on medication (unless you are unable to perform certain tasks while taking the medication) or are in therapy.

Yes, if and only if their role in that job, required a particular level of responsibility for themselves, others or some kinds of property. The exact conditions are a matter of judgement. I had a friend with OCD and his employers like the benefit they gained from him always tidying up the yard all the best urban

First of all a person suffering from any type of mental illness will not look for a job because he will not have the capacity to work anywhere.His work will be erratic and he will have violent mood swings which will interfere with his work.Even if he tries to hide it from his employers he will not be able to do so.Its better that he first takes treatment for it and looks for work only when he is confident that he will be able to do so,otherwise if he is found out then he will not be recommended for any job by his employer.

Not all employees actually know they have a mental illness but I feel there is a stigma towards it anyway (rather like depression) so my gut feeling would be that attitudes need to change before people can feel comfortable with disclosing whether or not they have a mental illness. So my answer is no lol.

I think it depends on the way that the mental illness affects that person's life. Some people with mental illnesses are able to work just like other employees and if they are able to do that, I don't think that they have to tell their employers that they are mentally ill. Some people with mentally illnesses are able to do the work that they are supposed to do, but they need a bit more time than others to finish certain tasks or they have to work fewer hours per week. If you have that kind of special needs I think it is neccesary to tell your employer about your illness because it affects the way that you work. In my country we have something called Flex-job. It is for people who are ill but able to work if their special needs are fulfilled. Some flex-job workers need to work fewer hours than other employees, some of them need extra time to finish the tasks, some of them need to work in a small group instead of a large group etc. Many flex-job employees are mentally ill, and you have to be open about your illness to get a flex-job, but the advantage is the fact that you can get the extra help that you need.

I think it would depend on the type of mental illness and perhaps even the type of job. For example, I have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder but the only way that would affect me when working is in a good way; I tend to be very well organized and will go to any lengths to keep things that way. I don't think my personal disorder needs to be disclosed. I was also diagnosed with depression back in my middle school days, but that's unnecessary as well, in my opinion, as this hasn't affected me in quite a few years. On the other hand...my mother has Bipolar, and I've personally seen her get violent. That could be something you should disclose. My aunt is a compulsive and habitual liar, which probably should be disclosed (but never would be, considering the disorder, haha). I was adopted, and when I met my birth mother and siblings I found that one of my sisters was schizophrenic. She actually believed that any black SUVs that drove by us when we visited them were her bodyguards, etc. I know one other person who is schizophrenic, and he's more toward the negative end...he actually tore out the ceiling of his house and rebuilt it with a layer of tin foil to protect against aliens. In both cases, it's a serious illness. In the latter case, I think it needs to be disclosed for the safety and knowledge of the rest of the workforce. Benefits? Mostly, the benefits would be to the others who had to work with that person. They would be able to have knowledge and act accordingly if something were to ever go haywire. Detriments? Well, as with any disclosure you have a lack of privacy; however, in my opinion, disclosure or lack thereof should be left to the employer. If that were to happen, a person who was not comfortable with disclosure could simply choose to only look for work at employers who did not force disclosure. I haven't yet heard of any specific instances where mental illness has had a direct effect on a person's work, but then again, it's a hush-hush topic. Such instances may be swept under the rug for any amount of reasons. This was a very interesting topic of discussion; I'm looking forward to reading the other responses now.

i dont think its necessary as long as that person already well cured and as long as that person knows that they can do better job. its better to just concentrate on the positive side of life and forget about the past and just considered it as a challenge so you will not go back to the old you. if employer will know you have previous mental illness then they might have a second thought of you specially in giving a promotion.

I think it would be a good idea so the boss will understand if the person is having problems with the job.

Hi! I think its very important to disclose it to your employer any way it will reflect on the personality test and even in your performance. SO that if anything happens they will know what to do and they will understand you more. Although discrimination may happen but its still important. I know of a nurse who has a mental illness when stress comes she had a breakdown which lead her to lose her job becuase of her bizarre behavior.

hey there sketch, Great topic I think disclosure is dependent on the kind of job and if the person's condition is detrimental to his safety and others, but if not then it is fine but dont jobs require medical exams and neuro exams so i guess they can detect it before they hire someone, and again it depends on the kind of job.

Mental illness should be taken seriously, Especially if this mental illness is so severe or something. There are some mental illness that causes some illusions and delusions, if this always happen with you then i think there would be a problem with work. Have you watched the movie Beautiful mind? He didn't know he was mentally sick, But he was still able to work. So i think it still depends.

Disclosure of a mental disease to an employer is not neccessary if the employee is undergoing treatment. However, if an employer asked for a mental status, honesty would be neccessary.

no I don't think so. there's a great deal of stigma still that would put off some employers. if you suffer a mental illness but are fit to work, then it's no one elses business.

Hi sketch! This is a very hard question. You have a person's right to privacy on one hand and then on the other...the possible safety of others to consider. I think it should greatly depend on the illness. If there is a possibility that they would need emergency treatment or might become aggressive under stress...it might be a good idea to share. I do, however, think that if there is disclosure that heads should roll if it is shared with people that have no need to know. It should certainly be left to HR and their particular manager. If these people share the information...there should be a legal responsibility to adhere to and it should also be considered as a guideline for termination.

I don't think it is necessary to tell the boss about it unless it affects your work. In this case, if it affects your work, then I think the boss will ask the person to have some rest or leave the job. He now has every reason to fire the person for he is not fit to do the job. If the illness does not interfere with his work, then I think it is better that he keep it to himself.

I would think that if ones performance is hindered because of mental disability once they start and realize its not for them they would leave, But other than that as long as a mental patient take their meds I see no reason to disclose that information... It's should only be a concern when the person is not doing for himself what he is suppose to do, like staying on his meds.. I think that if I was in that position, once I was established at the job I would share it only with someone I feel I could trust them...Its always good for someone around knows the real deal,,,