New employer medical form

epitome

My friend has been accepted on a new job.
My friend takes anti depressants, but has a flawless sick record.

The HR have sent a medical form

It asks do you have a disability under the Act..etc..

If you say yes it asks you to answer yes or no to a long list of types of disability ...they are all answered no, except depression.

Should my friend be answering Yes or No to the disability question?

Will it likely cause any problems whichever way it is answered?

kiss_me_now9

If your friend answers no, then OH have no idea what's going on. If they answer yes, OH will probably ask to see them, ask a few questions about their management of it and be aware that they might need help further down the line.

Entirely up to your friend if they want to disclose it. Not sure why you're asking

Energize

Ultimately it's up to your friend whether they actually consider themselves to have a disability or no.

epitome

If they answer yes. Is there any chance they may lose the job?

If they answer no, is there any chance of it being a problem in the future?

Manxman_in_exile

Has your friend actually been diagnosed with clinical depression? You say their sickness record is "flawless". That's quite unusual if they've been diagnosed.


Not everyone (AIUI) taking anti-depressants is necessarily suffering from depression.

epitome

You have touched on my next question.

If they say No to disability - Because the question starts with "Do you consider you..."

The form then asks later
Do you have an ongoing diagnosed medical condition?
If they are on anti depressants...does that mean it has been diagnosed?

Also with office work they have hand wrist problem which has not been diagnosed (as far as we understand by the use of the word "diagnosed" -but they saw a therapist) but they were given a special mouse to use on previous job... again unsure what to put on the form under this latest question.

IAmWales

Do they have an ongoing medical condition? They're receiving ongoing treatment so yes, that would be very likely. ADs are not solely taken for depression though, so that may not be his condition.

Do they have a disability? That depends on whether they consider that they meet the definition, that is "a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities." Taking medication does not necessarily mean they are disabled.

He's not going to lose the job solely by being on ADs. The workforce would be greatly reduced if that was the case.

What was he referred to therapy for? That would be his diagnosis, or sufficient description of his condition to note down.

These are not trick questions. He needs to be honest so any suitable adjustments can be made. Failure to be honest based on semantics, will create far more of a problem if he then has difficulties at a later stage.

TBagpuss

As others have said, he needs to be honest.

If, provided he takes his medication, he is able to manage well day to day then the right answer may well be that yes, he has a diagnosed medical condition but no, he doesn't have a disability.

The question about medical considerations may not simply be able what if any additional support or adjustment he needs, it may also be about having information available in case he were to become ill at work, and to ensure that first aiders are aware of any relevant matters.

Obvious this is a bigger issue for some types of medical condition / diagnosis than others - for instance, it is fairly important for the first aides and others at my place of work to know that I have life-threatening allergies and carry adrenaline pen. Knowing that someone is taking anti-depressants is less likely to be essential from a workplace safety perspective although it could be relevant if your friend was taken ill at work and not able to provide his own medical history.

jobbingmusician

A disability is something that has a substantial impact on your day to day life. If his depression is well managed, then it doesn't, so isn't a disability, but is a medical condition.

Hope this helps