Our latest video in our advice series answers the question: “I am drowning at work and I fear that I will have no choice but to disclose my illness to my employer. I am wondering what the best way is to do this. Do you have any experience with this? What is the process like?”
I provide my own experience with this as well as advice I’ve learned from trying to navigate it myself.
I have a background as a social worker and of course have my own experience navigating living with schizoaffective disorder. In these segments I try to bridge together these two perspectives. However I am not a medical practitioner so all advice is purely based off my own experiences and should not be taken as medical advice.
If you would like to submit your own question or scenario for advice, please email a few lines to lwwsadvice@gmail.com
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Don’t do it. Then they’ll either target you or they’ll be uncomfortable like you’re Michael Meyers and talk about their paranoia of you with others. Then by mass psychosis everyone will think you’re some crazed lunatic that’s gonna snap
Your ability to sit down and do the things is what I want
¡Gracias!
Last time I did this recently I was fired. It's a bad idea unless you have an understanding employer. Most will just get rid of you. Of course they can't be explicit with why but if you have bipolar or schizophrenia many employers will rather chuck you than take the risk. Good sectors this is less likely to happen is public or charity but if you are working private sector? You can expect to be chucked. That's the harsh reality of it. Again I made this mistake a few months ago with an employer and told them about my bipolar and its completely screwed my life up and I'm now back at my parents house with no income apart from crappy welfare.
Simple; you don't. It will be used against you. I've been burned doing that before.
For me, the benefits of any accommodations my employer could provide NEVER outweighs the paranoia that is created by a superior or direct peer knowing my "secret". I will always focus on "who else knows now?" or "this is definitely affecting the way my boss perceives me" (in an obsessive, ruminating way characteristic of the symptoms of my schizophrenia). I'm thinking about finding a trusted person in another department in our building, and confiding in them and asking if they could be a sounding board or if they would notify me if my mental health seems to be slipping without my awareness.
Maybe it's just better that you don't 🙁
Seriously what are we meant to do!? If we literally cannot work due to mental illness but cannot get any financial help? Just curl up and rot?
You don't disclose it to your employer, you never do that..you keep it to yourself, anybody will use whatever they can against you..
Wonderfully Beautiful!!!!!
I'm glad I came across this video. I was told by my boss today that I was getting a letter on my file regarding my attendance. I plan to disclose about my mental illness. I'm also in Canada so I looked up what my rights are for this since it's considered a disability. I'm SO anxious to talk to my boss. It's not something I ever thought I would have to disclose. I'm not embarrassed, it's just not a comfortable thing to talk to your employer about. Plus my direct boss is new to supervising where I work so I don't have the close relationship that I did with my previous manager.
I never do
Do you have any advice on good career paths for someone dealing with schizophrenia?
Wait until after you get the job to tell them. If you tell them during the interview, they may not hire you. But if you show them that you’re a good worker and you kiss the right people’s ass’ you can get alot more leeway to address your mental health.
It’s not a good idea to disclose with an employer about your mental illness.
Ya I got kicked out of goodwill. I told them my meds were messing with me. Then they fired me. Even goodwill
In the UK, employers are seen to be embracing support for mental illness. However, there's an invisible line beyond which they will want to get rid of you rather than support you. Be very cautious before doing so.
It's such a double edge sword to disclose even with laws in place it's hard to actually get accommodations at work or at school. I wish this was not the case, but every time I let someone know they say I'm making it up, everyone has something, and at the university level this shouldn't be an issue…..
Never tell anyone your diagnoses! Tell them you have a disability. That is enough! Everyone will use the name of that diagnoses to assume the moral high ground! Everyone will use this against you! Including mental health clinics police you name it. I can prove it!!!
Lauren,thank you so much for the video 🙏🏻
You should try out acting, you are truly talented eye candy…
My previous employer would never have accepted someone needing time off for mental health reasons. They vindictively didn't schedule me for a full month because I missed a few days of work after having been taken to the hospital by ambulance (not from work). I got yelled at for not showing up when I was curled up in pain and sick over and over. And yes, I presented a document as proof from the hospital. I saw that employer actually drive other employees into having anxiety and panic attacks. And anything they would find out about your personal life (including health), they would use against you. It was a very toxic workplace and I'm glad I never have to deal with those downright abusive people.
I'd say it's a bit of a calculated risk to disclose, depending on your employer. The added complication in the U.S. is that a lot of people have health insurance through their employer. So that adds the stress of their treatment being dependent on them retaining that job. Sadly that's how some people stay basically trapped in horrible working conditions. Sometimes the very job they are trying to keep for the sake of keeping their health insurance, is the cause of worsening their health.
Your ability to do the job should also reassessed if you can do the job anymore in the future. I know it's the law but also consider BFOR.
I also want to add that complementary to your videos is everyone’s comments!
Always so kind and it’s great to hear everyone’s point of view. Cheers!!
Love your videos!
My advice…don’t tell them shit. Tell them you have kidney disease and need frequent treatment
I work with company employing disabled people like myself but still I'm scared if they consider prolonging my agreement if I choose to rescue my mental health and go to hospital for 3 months. After all they get money for employing me from the government and it's possible there will be no work for me when I come back from hospital.
How to disclose?–You DON'T!At least not if you don't want to face ignorance,prejudice and at best "special" treatment.
Very usefull
Thanks!
Really liked your description in this video!
Please cover disorders of the endocrine system which is the root cause of so many peoples mental illness. A very large proportion of mental illnesses are caused by these illnesses . An example is thyroid disorders.
https://youtu.be/RHzIEOKpTuY
News alert, your employers already can tell that you have a mental illness with you telling them.. Neigbours can too. Eg. your lower productivity/severe problems making decisions and any erratic behavior
I started a drawing journal and a psychiatrist wants to see it to know what my mind is like but I’m afraid of letting people see. Any advice?
I just landed a new job in my field, higher ed, after months of unemployment and I disclosed to my supervisor that I have a mental illness and need accomodations. I just read the list of accommodations from the ADA, which is an American document, and then provided what I needed. My supervisor helped me get all set up and let me know I can talk to HR anytime if I have things I don't feel I can tell her. I know not everyone has a supportive work place, I hope mine is, I haven't started yet. I wanted to get off on the right foot. Before I was hired I disclosed in my hiring documents that I am disabled and trans. I wanted to be hired for me and be able to be myself at work. Hoping myself the best of luck. I've disclosed my mental illness in every past job, of which I've had about 20, the only time I didn't was when I worked in Japan where it really wasn't safe to. Only a few were awful to me but none ever fired me. On the other hand coming out with my mental illness to my grad school advisor/thesis director was a bad idea and definitely started a struggle for me to prove I was "sane" enough to be in school.
I had a co-worker admit she was treated for bipolar disorder, she felt comfortable confiding knowing I had a family history of schizophrenia.
Be careful, don't expect your employer will be supportive. They're not medical experts, and may make their own assumptions about what you can and can't do. Your medical information is private anyway, only your doctor should know it. I like the suggestion of a "mental health issue", it's a general term that doesn't provide specific information. I made the mistake of telling my new Manager about a health issue I had, expecting to be supported. I told him too much information, which he then used against me. My condition is rare, and not obvious, so he made assumptions, told me I was making it up, then still didn't believe me after a doctor confirmed what I'd been saying. He pressured me into resigning. Suffice to say the same Manager also targeted other employees, and was eventually fired for exceeding his authority and not following procedures. I'm from Australia, so the employment laws are different. He was a classic narcissistic, very dangerous, and should never have been employed. HR did not do any background checks, such as the real reason why he left his last job.
Eu gostaria muito que o vídeo fosse legendado , traduzido . Beijos
When should you disclose to so.eone youre dating? Becuse everytime I tell a woman I start dsting they stop talking to me.
It is none of their business. I would never disclose anything about my health to an employer
Look, if you have mild symptoms of schizoaffective or schizophrenia and your symptoms are controlled with a small dosage of medication, please don't ruin your opportunities by telling your employer about your personal medical history. This channel is a one-sided narrative. Everything this lady says is best on her own life experiences, not yours.
Disclosing one’s “mental illness” is a recipe for being bullied, losing all credibility, and being mercilessly harassed — even if one’s “mental illness” is just ADHD/ADD. Even in situations of obvious discrimination and harassment, bringing a wrongful termination or discrimination lawsuit is practically impossible. If you value yourself and your professional standing, don’t tell your employer that you’re nuts — they don’t want to know, and if they do know, they won’t hesitate to use it against you. 🙄
Hi Lauren. I've watched a number of your videos and am left in such admiration of you. You have struggled so much with your life, emotions and experiences. You make me feel so humble. I take my hat off to you. Well done
💓
I’m 17 and living with depression and anxiety. I’m currently trying to search for a part-time job to do during college (I’m in the UK) and this is something I’ve been worrying about a lot recently so thank you for sharing. I feel like there’s a 50/50 chance of either getting a good boss/management who are understanding, or getting a bad one. It’s so hard when you don’t know what they’re going to be like when first going into it. This has really helped though so thank you, Lauren! ❤️ Sending you so much love
i do not work. i make $4500 USD a month in disability pay. i own my own house and a V8 hemi truck. i have not worked in almost 10 years. i get my medications and medical care free. including my transgender care.
Thanks for addressing this topic. Keep in mind Human Resources works for the employer, not the employee. I'm in a situation where I'm paying the price for disclosure that involved HR. My bosses are all very supportive of me but HR has forced me into a reduced role. The union, legal aid and my bosses are all on my side but because of technicalities in favour of the employer there is nothing we can really do.
Are you wearing your jumper backwards?
When I have to have these types of conversations about my disorder (DID), I always start it off by asking: "What do you know about dissociative disorders?" and then I go from there. There absolutely have been times when it's been easier to describe it as migraine symptoms (because some days the symptoms are identical to the non-headache migraine symptoms) simply because people see ads for migraine meds and many know people who get migraines, so it's not an unusual disease and typically people tend to understand it can be debilitating.
I've also said in my cover letters this year that I require ADA (Americans With Disabilities Act) accommodations but that I'm looking forward to discussing the position and my abilities with them. I also try to stress that being able to attend therapy during work hours (if necessary) means I can lessen the days I have to call in sick. My therapist and I try to work it out so that I have the same day and time for therapy each week for a month at a time, to make it easier for HR people when it comes time for me to make the request to have time off for therapy.