Tag: depression

Learning from tragedy–depression and mental health in the workplace

This past week, the entertainment world lost one of its best and brightest to an apparent suicide. Robin Williams, who brought laughter to so many for so long, took his own life at the age of 63. So much has been written about his talent over the past week that it’s difficult to understand or […]

FMLA, ADA, and employees with depression: Examining the nuts and bolts

Employees bring their expertise, education, and skills to work every day, and employers count on those qualities. But employees may also bring other aspects of their lives to work—characteristics that can complicate the employer’s responsibilities.  A study from Integrated Benefits Institute (IBI), a nonprofit organization concerned with health and productivity research, released a study in […]

Depression: 7 Employer Considerations for Reasonable Accommodations

Dealing with employees suffering from depression is a delicate topic. The number of people seeking treatment for depression in the U.S. is now 27 million a year, and the CDC notes that the most likely groups to suffer from depression are adults in the 40 to 59 age range. With these statistics, most employers will […]

Mental Illness and the Workplace: How Might DSM-5 Changes Affect You?

Ever heard of DSM-5? It’s the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition. It is the latest update to the American Psychiatric Association’s classification and diagnostic tool. This update was published on May 18, 2013 and includes some significant expansions to definitions of a few mental disorders. “This is the diagnostic manual that […]

How to Deal with Depression and Work Restrictions: Give the Doctor a Note

In requesting documentation to back up an accommodation request, employers should specify what types of information they are seeking regarding the disability, its functional limitations, and the need for reasonable accommodation. The employee can be asked to sign a limited release allowing the employer to submit a list of specific questions to the healthcare professional.

Depression as a disability: Combating vague accommodation requests

Addressing depression and related mental disabilities and meeting reasonable accommodation requirements is a delicate balance. Often, employees who are in this situation will have a preconceived idea of what work restrictions would benefit them as an accommodation, and they ask their healthcare providers to state those things as a work restriction when they obtain medical […]

Depression and other mental disabilities: Beware of assumptions

Dealing with depression and other mental disabilities in the workplace can be challenging. This is especially true if an employer also has to combat negative attitudes towards the affected employees that hinder compliance with the law. California employers need to be aware of assumptions and attitudes about emotional or mental disabilities that can lead to […]

Domestic violence in the workplace: How does ADA apply?

Domestic violence in the workplace is much more prevalent than some might think. In fact, “forty-four percent of American employees (full-time American employees) personally experience domestic violence’s effect in their workplaces. Twenty-one percent identify themselves as victims of intimate partner violence.” Charles W. Pautsch told us in a recent CER webinar. With such high numbers, […]