{"id":31266,"date":"2016-04-27T06:00:54","date_gmt":"2016-04-27T13:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/?p=31266"},"modified":"2018-05-07T14:14:57","modified_gmt":"2018-05-07T21:14:57","slug":"disclosing-health-issues-at-work-to-tell-or-not-to-tell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/disclosing-health-issues-at-work-to-tell-or-not-to-tell-0427164","title":{"rendered":"Disclosing Health Issues at Work: To Tell or Not to Tell"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Two<\/a>Jake, who has been seeing me for therapy for some time, is sliding further into depression<\/a>. He is struggling to get up in the morning, complete daily living tasks, and concentrate at work. Jake needs to take some mental health days off to stabilize his mood<\/a>, but he\u2019s unsure how his employer will handle his request.<\/p>\n

Also working with me in therapy\u00a0is Sarah, a\u00a0person with a chronic illness<\/a> who is unemployed but wants to work part-time to contribute to her family. She experiences unexpected pain and fatigue that can be debilitating, sometimes confining her to bed all day. Sarah isn\u2019t sure if she should tell her potential employer in the interview about her condition, fearing she will not be hired.<\/p>\n

Does either of these situations resonate with you due to a mental or physical diagnosis<\/a>? Are you afraid to tell your employer about your condition out of fear you will be treated unfairly? If so, you are not alone. Many people with chronic conditions face this dilemma.<\/p>\n

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Should You Tell Your Employer?<\/h2>\n

How do you decide whether to tell your employer about your diagnosis? Certainly, there are risks to disclosing; you leave yourself vulnerable to those around you and risk being treated differently or unfairly. But there are dangers to not telling, too. If you don\u2019t disclose your condition\u2019s symptoms to your employer, you run the risk of being seen as incompetent or lazy at your job, which could lead to negative consequences. And if you don\u2019t disclose important information, you may not be protected legally in the event of discrimination<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What are your rights, you ask? The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)<\/a> protects you from any potential consequences and requires employers to make reasonable accommodations for anyone with a condition it defines as a \u201cdisability.\u201d<\/p>\n

Certainly, there are risks to disclosing; you leave yourself vulnerable to those around you and risk being treated differently or unfairly. But there are dangers to not telling, too.<\/span><\/p>\n

The term “disability” is defined by the U.S. Department of Labor as:<\/p>\n