Posted by paxvox on June 24, 2003, at 16:47:22
In reply to People not understanding Depression « brian green , posted by Dr. Bob on June 22, 2003, at 14:31:24
I'm sorry to be so blunt, but believe me they KNOW all about depression and other so-called mental illnesses. They are trying to find out if you are "too wacky" to work for them, or if you are some risk to self or others. They, of course, DO have a right to be concerned about such things, but NOT if you have never given them any cause FOR concern. The "mental illness stigma" IS starting to lift a bit, but, unfortunately, not everyone sees it the same way. Now that there are TV and print media ads for antidepressant meds, ALL of America knows about "depression" and possible medical treatment options. The work issue is relevant because your employer is required by Federal law to provide a "safe working environment" for ALL its workers. YOU may be seen as a threat to them. PLEASE UNDERSTAND that I am being purely speculative about the YOU part of this equation. I have been on both sides of this fence, as a manager responsible for hiring/firing employees, as well as a sufferer of so-called "mental illness". I suspect your employer may just be playing CYA to ensure THEY are doing their part. It may be totally innocuous, just part of what they "have to do". however, I would be curious to know what questions that they asked you, and how you responded. Some stuff is clearly none of their business unless you have *presented* with a problem. There are a LOT of things that an employer can TRY to do to you, but there are as many laws to protect YOU and YOUR RIGHTS to privacy. In addition, if you DO have a condition that DOES affect your job,there *CAN* be things that they can try to do TO you. A lot of this would, obviously,depend upon the sort of work that you do. You are protected from discrimination by the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as ammended by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1991. Tell us a little more about the situation, if you feel comfortable doing so, and we (at least I) will try to help you figure out what is going on. Hope this helps, but feel free to ask more questions as they arise.
PAX
poster:paxvox
thread:236054
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20030617/msgs/236723.html