depression and work

stevemLS

There should be no detriment by not telling your manager sooner.

Legally, you should be better off if they are told. Having a disability, which your long standing depression probably is, brings protection from discrimination or less favourable treatment. However, you can't have that protection if your employer doesn't know about your disability.

It would also trigger a duty to consider making adjustments to your job - it might be, for example, that a change to your working pattern might benefit you.

What sort of work do you do?

Crazy_Jamie

belfast28 wrote:

im now considering telling my boss that I have been diagnosed with severe depression, my worry is that I will be discriminated against and maybe pushed out off my job. If I tell him is there any legislation where he can punish me for keeping it a secret for so long?

You have my sympathies for the situation that you're in. As other posters have mentioned, you cannot be dismissed immediately due to your depression providing it constitutes a disability under the Equality Act 2010, which it likely will from what you've said. However, you do have to tell your employer about this sooner rather than later. Your employer can dismiss you on capability grounds, but there are a lot of steps that need to be taken before that can happen, including a full assessment of your condition and exploring whether or not reasonable adjustments can be made to help you manage with your job.

Your next step should be to inform your employer. Once your employer is involved they can liaise either with occupational health or your doctor as to the status of your condition and next steps to be taken.

pmlindyloo

Your health must come first.

Make an appointment with your doctor (ask for two appointments to run side by side) and then go from there. It may be that your medications need 'tweaking' or there is some form of other help that might be appropriate.

If your doctor gives you a fit note then your employer will soon find out what the problem is because it will be written on the fit note.

Get someone to call in work on your behalf and say that you are not fit for work. If they ask what is wrong then just say that you are off to the doctors and you will update them when you know more.

There is absolutely no need to go into details with your employers at the moment. You must concentrate on feeling better and getting some help.

Your employers will take no action at the moment as you will have a fit note. This will give you time to take some advice from your doctor and make some long term decisions.

Wishing you well.

elsien

belfast28 wrote: »

how long does ssp last?


im only looking 2-3 weeks max, not talking months, just a little worried how ill be viewed if im truthful with my manager, he'll maybe wonder why im telling him now after being diagnosed five years ago and struggling in silence since.

What's your company sick pay, as per your contract? You might find that with your length of service you're entitled to more than SSP, it depends on your company and what time (if any) you've already had off.
If your manager was understanding last time when your wife had the miscarriage, then there's a fair chance that they'll be sympathetic now.
For what it's worth, as a manager, my perspective would be that you've managed to keep working even when things have been difficult over the last few years, so the fact that you now need time off shows that you really are struggling. It would be better to take time off now to try to get things under control than run yourself into the ground and need longer later on.

belfast28

elsien wrote: »

What's your company sick pay, as per your contract? You might find that with your length of service you're entitled to more than SSP, it depends on your company and what time (if any) you've already had off.
If your manager was understanding last time when your wife had the miscarriage, then there's a fair chance that they'll be sympathetic now.
For what it's worth, as a manager, my perspective would be that you've managed to keep working even when things have been difficult over the last few years, so the fact that you now need time off shows that you really are struggling. It would be better to take time off now to try to get things under control than run yourself into the ground and need longer later on.

we get 25 days full pay sick leave each year, this starts in January and I haven't had any sick leave this year. there has been times when I have struggled to get out of bed and have been suicidal but I managed to get myself into work and kept my head down. Lately ive been awarded top rate disability living allowance care component and like I said I am in constant contact with my gp.

belfast28

that capability grounds sounds bad, and I wonder if having depression constitutes that, my anxiety and depression bounce off eachother at times. Sometimes I feel what is the point in this, nothing brings me enjoyment anymore, to sit and worry everyday, to constantly be pulled back down into this black hole

atrixblue.-MFR-.

My advice is to not take time off work, if you do for a few weeks, then the likely hood of being motivated to go back is going to be harder or you may feel that you cant go back and quit altogether.
Stability and routine of work is key to recovering form depression, taking time out to collect your thoughts may only worsen things IMHO so im going to go to the other side of other posters who say to have time out, my fear for you doing this is that it may make it harder for you to return to work and further make things worse with you depression.


something isn't right, its either your diagnosis or your meds you need a in depth discussion with your GP, and if you feel that this isn't productive then persist to have a second opinion and keep persisting it is what I had to do with my GP and CPN.


Employers are understanding of depression, they do allow time for someone to seek help and treatment, but that's as far as they stretch in this, as when treatment is implemented and nothing changes it affects time keeping and ability to do their job their in their maximum capacity, they have options available to them too they can request you see their occupational therapist who will produce a report for you and your employer, this will aid them in deciding whether the role fits your condition, and what else they could do for you to be productive within the company, or they can start the ball rolling to relinquish your contract due illhealth both are lengthy processes so I wouldn't worry too much right now about that.


Also if you have health insurance through work or something similar to this, then see if they cover getting access to private psychiatrists and treatment, this maybe a quicker rout to seeing someone, I know with having CPN's you don't actually get to see a psychiatrist at all your basically talking to the middle man/woman who reports back to one and he diagnoses you without having seeing you.

elsien

belfast28 wrote: »

that capability grounds sounds bad, and I wonder if having depression constitutes that,

That would be a long long way further down the line. An employer is not going to start going down the capability route after a few weeks off. I think maybe you need to try focus less on the worst case scenarios as that can paralyse you into indecision and more on what actions you can take to start to get well. The GP being the obvious starting point.

daphnemoon

From personal experience and advice I have received, you are not under any obligation to tell your employer about a disability.

It is better to let them know if feel up to it as they can make adjustments for you. To accommodate your needs it maybe helpful to let them know.

I would balance telling them against whether you need to tell them. Your employer may not be as understanding as you want and that can be stressful. Also if you send your sick notes direct to HR then your manager shouldn't know the details unless you tell him.

I told my boss as soon as I was diagnosed with a mental health condition and it helped but I worked for a large company who had great policies in place. It was the best thing I could have done!

However my previous company boss had a fit when I went off sick with cluster migraines so I would never have told them had I been diagnosed with mental health issues whilst still working for them.

dandelionclock30

OP your mental health comes way before your job and if you are severly depressed as you say you are then you need help.
Untreated depression when its gets really bad can cause problems in every sphere of your life. Having a bit of time off work to get better is nothing in the grand scheme of things.
Go back to the G.P and tell them exactly how bad it is and then take their advice regarding what to do. Also if possible try to work out what it is thats causing your depression if you can and try to address it and find a way forward for yourself.