Mental Illness In The Workplace

Let’s say you just got a new job and you are asking yourself whether you should disclose your mental illness to your employer or keep your mouth zipped. Or you’ve been at your job a while and have new mental health issues. What do you do? Well, while I believe it is important a person is open about their mental health in their daily lives, exposing your circumstances at work could leave you vulnerable. It’s a very touchy subject so do not take it lightly. Every patient and workplace is different so it is best to take it on a case by case basis.

I experienced the good and bad when disclosing my psychiatric issues to companies in the past. In college, I missed out on a promotion because my boss knew I was having “difficulties”, as she put it.

I had been working until about 8 pm or later and it was a very difficult schedule for me; especially because I wasn’t getting any daylight hours during winter months when I suffer from SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). It was completely within their power but they felt the need to interrogate me about it and ask invasive questions that they had no right to ask. I was asking for a 3 hour shift in my schedule. In the end I compromised at 1 ½ hours because they pressured me. I wasn’t fully happy but at least I got

Some people prefer not to discuss home life with coworkers. Others bond together over outside miseries. Trust is the key word. Only you can determine how much you trust your co-workers. I personally have no problem discussing my mental illness with people, but it has taken a long time for me to get there. And on the other hand, I’ve had people at work that I know are cutthroat and untrustworthy that I would never talk to about my issues. I was concerned they would try to use my illness against me somehow. Then again, that could be the illness talking. Paranoia on the