Disclosure Of Bipolar Disorder To An Employer

One common topic of discussion that comes up whenever a group of bipolar disorder sufferers meet is disclosure of our conditions. My personal opinion is that in most scenarios it will hurt a person more than help. Last night at a DBSA meeting the topic came up again. I expressed my opinion, then someone else spoke up about a speaker they heard a few weeks ago. That person was an expert in labor law, and recommended not mentioning it at all in the interview process, but once hired make the disclosure at the earliest convenience. I’ve heard that before, and it’s something I really want to believe. If my employer knew, and understood, I’d feel a LOT more comfortable in my position. Imagine being able to express your frame of mind, and be met with understanding and compassion. So armed with a new batch of enthusiasm about the possibilities, I sat down with an HR person at work today. I asked her if I could lay out a confidential "what if" scenario, and I would appreciate her confidential input. She agreed, so I gingerly waded in.

(Me): "What if an employee were to disclose a medical condition that while rarely needing special accommodations, might from time to time need moderate accomodations. Would this person’s supervisor and department be notified of such a scenario?"

(HR): "Well, the first determination would be if the person is capable of doing the job they’re being asked to do. Then, what accommodations would need to be made for such a person."

(Me): "How about the person’s immediate supervisor, would they need to be notified?"

(HR): "Yes, they would need to know the situation, so that accommodations could be made."

(Me): "Let’s say, for example, that an employee was to disclose bipolar disorder. Normally there are no problems, but depending on seasonal and other factors, it may flare up once or twice a year."

(HR): "Yes, I can understand. The anxiety, and depression would make it difficult to work at times."

(Me): "Exactly. The need for accommodations would be minor and infrequent, but helpful when needed. Given this, do you still say that a person’s supervisor would need to be notified? You can certainly understand how a disclosure such as this could be damaging to a career."

(HR): "I understand completely these concerns, but there is no way around disclosure to the person’s manager. That is the only way to implement the needed accommodations."

(Me): "While we live in a fairly large city, the size of the community in this industry is really pretty small. If word were to leak into the community it could have a significant long-term career impact."

(HR): "I understand that concern. I can assure that disclosure would never come from the HR department. And I can further assure you that anyone caught breaching confidentiality would be subject to severe discliplinary action. But this being said, you can’t ignore the possibility of such information getting out."