David Baxter PhD
Late Founder
The Analysis: Revelation Is Still a Risk
Assess the situation before discussing depression with your supervisor and peers
Business Week
June 4, 2008
In the 10 years since Diane Coutu came out to her current employer about her clinical depression, the only negative result she has experienced is her own occasional fear that her colleagues will react badly. So far, not one has.
Quite the opposite, Coutu, a senior editor at Harvard Business Review, has found supervisors and peers alike to be sympathetic and understanding. They make no big deal about her illness. And letting go of the secret has lifted a tremendous burden from her emotionally, making her job easier. Still, she concedes that the decision to go public doesn't necessarily make sense for everyone with depression.
Experts agree.
"It depends enormously on your employer's character and personality," says Andrew Solomon, author of The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression (Scribner), a personal account of his own struggle with the illness and a study of depression in general. "Lots of people have their own madness, and that makes them uncomfortable with other people's illnesses."
Must Antidepressants Be a Secret?
Misunderstanding of the illness itself contributes to the risk of disclosing it. In her book Medical Myths That Can Kill You (Crown Publishers, 2008), Dr. Nancy Snyderman writes that many people still think of the need for antidepressants as a weakness. "We talk a good game about recognizing depression as a real illness, yet we still think people who suffer from it should be able to just 'buck up,'" Snyderman says. "You the employee really need to think this thing through before you tell your employer."
"If you feel your workplace in general is savage and backstabbing, you may not want to tell people about your depression," says Gabriela Cora, a psychiatrist and MBA who practices at the Florida Neuroscience Center in Fort Lauderdale.
Those who seek and receive successful treatment for a bout of depression aren't necessarily safe from workplace doubt afterward. "If you're up for promotion, there could be the legacy of people wondering, 'Is she going to have another episode?'" Solomon says.
It is not unheard-of for employees to pay the entire cost of their antidepressant drugs themselves, rather than using their company-paid insurance, because they fear their employers will find out about their illness and discriminate against them. "I'd like to be able to say you should always use your employer's insurance, but I don't think it's appropriate in all situations," Solomon says.
Growing Openness
Fortunately, however, for those who wish to disclose their depression at work, conditions have been steadily growing better.
For example, Norwegian Prime Minister Kjeli Magne Bondevik's 1998 disclosure that he was leaving office to undergo treatment for depression didn't stop him from serving in the same office again, from 2001 to 2005.
Young people today have a more sophisticated view of conditions such as depression than their parents did. "The new generation is more open about these difficulties in general," Cora says. "Even school kids talk about how 'stressed' they are."
Acceptance of depression as a legitimate illness is also growing. Medical professionals often make an analogy between depression that comes from a chemical imbalance and diabetes, which comes from a lack of insulin. The National Institute of Mental Health says one in five adults in the U.S. will experience a diagnosable mental disorder at some point, and the Americans With Disabilities Act classifies mental illnesses as a category protected from job discrimination.
"Assuming your employer is understanding, it's always better to tell about your depression," says Solomon, noting that if your company provides mental health coverage, there's a better chance you'll get a positive reaction when you disclose your depression.
"A good relationship with your boss is an indicator you can go public," Cora says.
Both Cora and Solomon believe employees who are up-front about their illness give their employers little reason to worry about possible compromised performances. "If someone is open and channels energy into getting help for depression, it's a sign that person is going to be a good employee," Cora says. "Also it's great if people get help early instead of waiting until full-blown depression occurs and debilitates them."
Assess the situation before discussing depression with your supervisor and peers
Business Week
June 4, 2008
In the 10 years since Diane Coutu came out to her current employer about her clinical depression, the only negative result she has experienced is her own occasional fear that her colleagues will react badly. So far, not one has.
Quite the opposite, Coutu, a senior editor at Harvard Business Review, has found supervisors and peers alike to be sympathetic and understanding. They make no big deal about her illness. And letting go of the secret has lifted a tremendous burden from her emotionally, making her job easier. Still, she concedes that the decision to go public doesn't necessarily make sense for everyone with depression.
Experts agree.
"It depends enormously on your employer's character and personality," says Andrew Solomon, author of The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression (Scribner), a personal account of his own struggle with the illness and a study of depression in general. "Lots of people have their own madness, and that makes them uncomfortable with other people's illnesses."
Must Antidepressants Be a Secret?
Misunderstanding of the illness itself contributes to the risk of disclosing it. In her book Medical Myths That Can Kill You (Crown Publishers, 2008), Dr. Nancy Snyderman writes that many people still think of the need for antidepressants as a weakness. "We talk a good game about recognizing depression as a real illness, yet we still think people who suffer from it should be able to just 'buck up,'" Snyderman says. "You the employee really need to think this thing through before you tell your employer."
"If you feel your workplace in general is savage and backstabbing, you may not want to tell people about your depression," says Gabriela Cora, a psychiatrist and MBA who practices at the Florida Neuroscience Center in Fort Lauderdale.
Those who seek and receive successful treatment for a bout of depression aren't necessarily safe from workplace doubt afterward. "If you're up for promotion, there could be the legacy of people wondering, 'Is she going to have another episode?'" Solomon says.
It is not unheard-of for employees to pay the entire cost of their antidepressant drugs themselves, rather than using their company-paid insurance, because they fear their employers will find out about their illness and discriminate against them. "I'd like to be able to say you should always use your employer's insurance, but I don't think it's appropriate in all situations," Solomon says.
Growing Openness
Fortunately, however, for those who wish to disclose their depression at work, conditions have been steadily growing better.
For example, Norwegian Prime Minister Kjeli Magne Bondevik's 1998 disclosure that he was leaving office to undergo treatment for depression didn't stop him from serving in the same office again, from 2001 to 2005.
Young people today have a more sophisticated view of conditions such as depression than their parents did. "The new generation is more open about these difficulties in general," Cora says. "Even school kids talk about how 'stressed' they are."
Acceptance of depression as a legitimate illness is also growing. Medical professionals often make an analogy between depression that comes from a chemical imbalance and diabetes, which comes from a lack of insulin. The National Institute of Mental Health says one in five adults in the U.S. will experience a diagnosable mental disorder at some point, and the Americans With Disabilities Act classifies mental illnesses as a category protected from job discrimination.
"Assuming your employer is understanding, it's always better to tell about your depression," says Solomon, noting that if your company provides mental health coverage, there's a better chance you'll get a positive reaction when you disclose your depression.
"A good relationship with your boss is an indicator you can go public," Cora says.
Both Cora and Solomon believe employees who are up-front about their illness give their employers little reason to worry about possible compromised performances. "If someone is open and channels energy into getting help for depression, it's a sign that person is going to be a good employee," Cora says. "Also it's great if people get help early instead of waiting until full-blown depression occurs and debilitates them."
