Many Workers with Mental Health Disorders Worry of Disclosing Condition to Supervisor

A recent New York Times article from November 15, 2014 highlights this problem. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, some 43.7 million US adults suffer from mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder. Many are in the workplace and may have a difficult time because of their disorder. Although “the Americans with Disabilities Act forbids companies from firing people with mental health conditions as long as they can do the ‘essential functions’ of the job as determined by the employer, people may not feel safe” disclosing a mental health disorder to their supervisors for fear of losing their jobs. Bosses may be unaware of ADA requirements or of company policies requiring schedule flexibility. “The partnership for Workplace Mental Health, part of the American Psychiatric Association, posts on its website case studies of companies that have introduced programs to address the issue.”