Employee who has taken Sick Leave for Depression

[Jennifer Kirley]

This is an excellent discussion, and I am very happy to see such high quality input from new Covers.

[SteelMaiden]

In Reply to Parent Post by Ajit Basrur

In these cases, you should get rightful advise from a psychiatrist who will help him to come out of this problem.

Just be careful with how you interpret a statement like this, here, it would be illegal for any information to be shared without the patient's consent. And legally, the only information that must be shared is the fact that the patient is under the provider's care and any restrictions there may be to the person's job.

Now, should you choose to ask any health care provider some generalized questions about what you can do to help the process, you may. But, and it is a big one, you may not use that person's advice to overule the treating provider's prescribed treatment plan (insert a whole bunch of legal stuff here, you need to stick with your HR dept and company lawyers)

All this only applies in the USA, you need to follow your own country's laws.

[machrk]

In Reply to Parent Post by Ajit Basrur

In these cases, you should get rightful advise from a psychiatrist who will help him to come out of this problem.

too true - need for proper psychiatric care is so important

one of my team was under care of internationally recognised University Professor of Psychiatry - the other under Psychiatric specialist

the problem was that both psychiatrists are just so amazingly busy

cheers
@KerrieAnne aka machrk

[Ajit Basrur]

In Reply to Parent Post by SteelMaiden

Just be careful with how you interpret a statement like this, here, it would be illegal for any information to be shared without the patient's consent. And legally, the only information that must be shared is the fact that the patient is under the provider's care and any restrictions there may be to the person's job.

Now, should you choose to ask any health care provider some generalized questions about what you can do to help the process, you may. But, and it is a big one, you may not use that person's advice to overule the treating provider's prescribed treatment plan (insert a whole bunch of legal stuff here, you need to stick with your HR dept and company lawyers)

All this only applies in the USA, you need to follow your own country's laws.

Steel, you are right - I wanted the OP take his friend to a psychiatrist to get the rightful attention.

[JaneB]

In Reply to Parent Post by SteelMaiden

it would be illegal for any information to be shared without the patient's consent. And legally, the only information that must be shared is the fact that the patient is under the provider's care and any restrictions there may be to the person's job.

Now, should you choose to ask any health care provider some generalized questions about what you can do to help the process, you may. But, and it is a big one, you may not use that person's advice to overule the treating provider's prescribed treatment plan (insert a whole bunch of legal stuff here, you need to stick with your HR dept and company lawyers)

All this only applies in the USA, you need to follow your own country's laws.

Very similar process here in Australia. Privacy applies - cannot obtain any information without the patient's consent. And the qualified medical professional is the one responsible for the treatment plan, as it should be.

But there's lots of things an intelligent manager or even just one who's reasonably compassionate or concerned can do. That includes familiarising themselves with what depression is and what they can do to assist. I realise it's a problem for the manager - unfortunately, people do get sick at times.

Lots of info on the web, including www.beyondblue.org.au (good ref Machrk!), and a personal web support forum: www.depression.net.au I haven't been into the latter for quite some years now, but last time I was there were a lot of people from the USA and the UK in it!

For some people with depression, working is good: it gives them something to do. For some, it's difficult/impossible either for a short or longer period. For others, they need different kinds of work for a while perhaps. It all depends!

One of the things that makes a mental illness such as depression difficult is that there are no signs of physical symptoms. Which means you can (and alas do) get people saying stuff like 'oh, they're not really ill - I can't see it'. No, you can't 'see it'. (Unless someone works out a way to make mental activity physically obvious? Not happened that I know of).

Most people are willing to be understanding when someone has an obvious physical illness (broken leg, say, or something else that shows obvious physical symptoms). Why is it so hard to understand that mental illness - which affects one's mental and emotional/mood - doesn't show symptoms to the ignorant, but is at least as (if not more so) profoundly debilitating and painful? If you could consider it as something akin to diabetes, say, beyond the person's control but apparently caused by chemistry askew, it would be very helpful to that person.

I worked out what triggered mine (a combination of circumstances, some beyond my control) and take care to avoid those risk factors that I can control. I made a number of different choices and some changes in my life to do so. And the support and understanding of friends (including some workmates) and family was critical in helping me through. Now, I doubt that anyone would have the least idea that I have suffered severe depression in the past, unless I chose to tell.

The thing is: it's not that uncommon. One in 5 people are said to suffer at least one episode in their life; women seem to be a bit more prone to it than men. We in Australia have a huge problem with depression in the country at the moment - they're struggling with the effects of over 12 years of drought, then add the decimating of local communities (GFC, natural disasters such as bushfires, etc). Some men, alas, shoot themselves in the grips of it.

But this I do say: if I were offered the choice between a/another episode of depression and b/having one or more limbs broken or being shot, I'd choose B. Every Single Time.

[Ajit Basrur]

Well summarized Jane

[machrk]

good post Jane

our site Chief Medical Officer arranges briefing sessions for managers each year on an understanding of Mental Illness - how to recognise and what can be done

our company also provides EAP - Employee Assistance Programme - for employees and their family members - includes 4 free visits each year to our org's consultant psychologists - after that employee pays at discount rates - is entirely confidential to the employee - manager is not advised of what takes place in the sessions

we provide info on the above services at each of our works ambulance medical centres - along with brochures from www.beyondblue.org.au

also all of the above info is provided on our company intranet - OHS web pages

cheers
@KerrieAnne aka machrk

[Craig H.]

Folks, I consider myself lucky to be the moderator assigned to this forum. Alas, I have been away, on vacation, for the last week, so I am just now reading the entire thread. Thanks so much to those who have given us the benefit of their experience with others in the workplace who were suffering from depression.

As for those who have offered their personal experience with their own depression, the first word that comes to mind is heroic. Brave also works. We will never know how much suffering you have prevented. You may have even saved a few lives. Well done!

Let me add this. Maybe the worst thing about the whole mental health issue is that, to get help, one must be willing to admit, first to themselves, then to someone else, that there is a problem. The stigma that we as a society have placed on mental illness prevents many, who would benefit from help, from seeking it. What a shame that is.