Diagnosis of depression and Work

LegacyUser

Hi, just wanted to ask a question that I haven't been able to find a definite answer to through googling. I'm wondering how does a diagnosis of depression affect my future job prospects?

I ask because I am studying in the health science field, and will be working in a hospital. I have no idea how interviews for my field of work run, but I'm just thinking - considering the role, it probably isn't unreasonable for them to ask me if I have any previous mental health problems...

Of course I could lie, but I don't really want to do that!

Can employers discriminate on the basis of having a mental health problem?

I'm 20 and I've been suffering from depression for 6 or 7 years at this stage but have just been hoping it will go away. I keep telling myself I will go to a GP one day/go on anti depressants/go to therapy etc. and I'm trying to tell myself this is the year I'll do it. Because it's killing me and I know if I want to work in my field, I need to be in the best of mental health

Anyway, so back to my original question - do employers have the right to ask me about this?

Thanks

LegacyUser

Anyone in the medical field know anything about this?

JuliusCaesar

You'll have to undergo an Occupational Health interview - they'll generally ask if you suffer/have ever suffered from (list of illnesses). It's important to be honest as you can lose your job if they later find out you lied. This comes after you've been offered the job. AFAIK they can't tell HR what condition you suffer from without your permission - they're just looking to see are you capable of doing the job. They cannot discriminate on health grounds - unless these prevent you doing the job. No point giving someone with a dodgy back a job with a lot of lifting.

We (health professionals) are just as likely to have illnesses/disorders/problems as anyone else. It'd be a sad reflection on us if we didn't walk the walk ourselves!

LegacyUser

JuliusCaesar wrote: »

You'll have to undergo an Occupational Health interview - they'll generally ask if you suffer/have ever suffered from (list of illnesses). It's important to be honest as you can lose your job if they later find out you lied. This comes after you've been offered the job. AFAIK they can't tell HR what condition you suffer from without your permission - they're just looking to see are you capable of doing the job. They cannot discriminate on health grounds - unless these prevent you doing the job. No point giving someone with a dodgy back a job with a lot of lifting.

We (health professionals) are just as likely to have illnesses/disorders/problems as anyone else. It'd be a sad reflection on us if we didn't walk the walk ourselves!

Thank you very much for your reply!

If I've never been diagnosed with depression, never told anyone etc. would it be unethical for me to say I've never suffered from it? Seeing as I've never been to the GP with it? Hypothetically of course, because ideally I'll be well on my way with treatment for it by the time I finish college.

This sucks though....:( But the health interview always comes AFTER the job offer? That's a relief at least. But once they know I have suffered/are still suffering from depression, they're likely to want me out.

I suppose as long as I'm doing my job well and showing I'm capable, it won't matter..

Novella

I actually just had an appointment with a mental health nurse this morning and I mentioned to her that I was concerned about my career prospects as I have quite a long psychiatric history, but she assured me that it isn't something to worry about. The way I see it, if you're sick, you're sick, be that mentally or physically and it's only right that you seek treatment for it. It's not something that should be held against you, as long as you are capable of the work obviously.

Curry Addict

questionaboutdepression wrote: »

If I've never been diagnosed with depression, never told anyone etc. would it be unethical for me to say I've never suffered from it? Seeing as I've never been to the GP with it?

not sure what your issue is as it sounds like you are self diagnosed which is irrelevent in the real world.

if you feel like you may suffer from depression you really should go to a doctor immediately and get help. the sooner you are on the road to recovery the better and forget about what ifs in the future.

RuthieC

I've come across this issue with work, though it wasn't in the healthcare profession and the one thing that kept me the job was the fact that I had done something about it. I was able to tell them how long I'd been in therapy and how things had changed, etc.

You'll be doing yourself a favour both personally and professionally by getting yourself to your GP. And personally, I was never able to fully commit to a job when I wasn't treating my depression. That might be something to consider too.

Would you want a friend to get help if she was suffering? Treat yourself as if you're your own best friend!

LegacyUser

I work in an allied health profession and suffered from depression (diagnosed, medication, hospital etc) when I was about your age. You'll hear conflicting advice on how much to disclose to future employers and I think that really it's a decision you will have to make on a case-by-case basis. Personally I have only once disclosed this at interview and that was because I needed to explain why I had quit my previous job and had been off work for a few months. Since then no-one has asked and I've never said anything. I've had pre-employment medicals but again, they didn't ask specifically so I didn't tell. At this stage it's been a long time since I had any problems so unless it was somehow especially relevant I can't foresee myself ever mentioning it. Legally, you should not be discriminated against. Also, if you seek appropriate treatment then you should be able to manage it and not have it interfere with your work record, meaning that it will hopefully not become an issue. However, if you don't get it treated, be that by medication, therapy or a combination thereof, and continue to try to soldier on yourself you may find things getting on top of you to the point where you are missing days etc.