Does your employer understand?

[Stefan P]

Hi all,

I thought I would share this little story about what happened to me a couple of weeks ago to encourage anyone that is perhaps afraid that their disorder is making their job vulnerable.

A couple of weeks ago, the anxiety disorder turned into panic attacks for the first time and I was terrified. It was a really scary time and I felt like the anxiety (which I have known is there for a few years now) was finally going to finish me off. I took a week off work to recover and kept in touch with my manager - just telling him I wasn't right and not really explaining why. He was pretty understanding so on the Friday I emailed him a full description of what was going on (anxiety, depression, and panic attacks).

Well when I returned to work on the following monday. I got a call from the managing director. He's one of those MDs that walks around looking menaceing and doesn't have much contact with his employees. He's a nice enough guy just a bit aloof. So you can imagine how I felt when I had to go to his office - enough to trigger panic right there! He said that my manager had showed him the email, and my heart sank thinking "here it comes". He stunned me by asking me to sit down and going on to explain that he has suffered from exactly the same thing for years and that he understood exactly what I was going through!

Since then we've talked a couple of times, and he has very kindly offered to pay for three or four sessions with a psychotherapist (first one on Monday!) to get me some help. He's reassured me that my job is not in any danger at all, and that his priority is that I get the help I need to get my life back on track.

I was really pleasantly surprised. I would never have dreamed in a million years that I could go to him and have a discussion about my problems - and here I am getting some therapy on company expense!

Hopefully this might encourage anyone who is feeling they cannot approach their employer about their disorder - you never know, you may be lucky enough to have an MD like mine

[happyone]

That is very good Stefan! One of the probs with anxiety is that worry about what 'might' be done or said, makes us less reluctant to be honest about stuff.

I work for local goverment and as such there are very good policies in place and I am quite well informed of recent legislation and how it affects me in my job (disability discrimination act makes it illegal for an employer to discriminate on the grounds of mental ill health and they have to make all reasonable adjustments to accomodate the person in the workplace)

My manager knows a lot about depression related illness and I have been very open about suffering from one but as far as she is concerned, I have a 'depressive illness' as opposed to me telling her I have Bipolar. My reasons for this are personal and I am treating her on a 'need to know' basis.

Happyone

[flinty90]

i am my employer so yeah i understand lol...

[Phill2]

I told my boss and he just calls me "The crazy bloke in the corner' but he's cool with it.
Phill

[Insomniac]

Hi there.

I am lucky too. I mentioned my depression on my application form when I applied for this job as teaching assistant at primary school.

In August 2006 I had a terrible time and was dreading going back in September. I knew the first thing I must do was tell the Headteacher. He was so understanding it was lovely and a huge weight off my shoulders. He has suffered with depression in the past, and told me there was another member of staff who also had problems.

I know now that he would rather support me and therefore keep a reliable member of staff. I find that most people you talk to have some experience of depression or anxiety or both, either personally or within their family. Its not easy to talk about at first. I used to blame myself for generally being rubbish and not able to cope when others have so much more to deal with than me. But I have accepted now that it is an illness like any other.... and you wouldn't dream of criticising someone with diabetes for example.

Great post Stefan!