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Accommodations for Depression at Work

Please bear in mind that I am not a lawyer. This article is not intended to give legal advice or contradict legal advice you might have received. If you're having trouble dealing with your depression and it's affecting your work, it may be time to ask your employer for accommodations under the ADA...
9/22/08 1:56am

Good post on a key subject. I spent too many years, first connecting depression to performance at work, and then finding out about ADA. People with mental health disabilities should know about this option - though I know a lot of people don't want to think of themselves as disabled. It's very helpful if the employer has written policies and procedures explaining exactly how to seek an accommodation, but I'm sure many don't. I found that there are two levels in the process. You can start with informal discussions and hopefully work out an accommodation, especially if the employer or supervisor is understanding of the condition you have. The second option is to make use of whatever formal procedure is available, and that requires thorough documentation from doctors and a lot of other steps that make the whole thing more complicated. It's a terribly difficult problem to deal with on a personal level because your job performance is being affected - and evaluated - and no one is happy about facing and admitting to others what the cause of the problem really is.

 

Thanks for calling attention to this issue.

 

JohnD

Anonymous
alby
12/ 5/09 8:42am

Thanks for the handy tips.  Most organizations have some sort of Employee Assistance Programme, either in-house or contracted provider.  If you are feeling like tlaking or needing help to disclose your situation, ask the supervisor for a referrael or simply make first contact yourself.  The service is confidential and most importantly, tailored to meet your needs as an individual.

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