Would you be comfortable keeping nanny on who is on antidepressants?

frakula - well said, totally agree.

Would you be uncomfortable with a nanny who was taking medication for a physical illness? She's taking medication to deal with an illness.

If she can't do her job that's another issue. She didn't have to tell you she was on ADs.

I can understand the OPs concerns.

Agencies ask nannies if they're taking medication. Any medication can have side effects, sometimes it takes a while to find a combination which is 'right'. I can totally understand why someone might want to know about a medication an employee is taking which affects their performance. I get hayfever in the summer so I take antihistamines. Some antihistamines make me drowsy - if I was popping Benadryl I wouldn't be in any fit state the look after children, so I take an antihistamine which doesn't make me drowsy. If I didn't take that approach and took the Benadryl I'd expect an employer to be concerned, not because it's discriminating against me because I have hayfever but because I'm not fit to do my job because of the side effects of the medication. If my job involves driving children around and I'm at risk of falling asleep at the wheel then it's perfectly reasonable for them to have concerns!

The OP isn't saying she's going to fire her nanny for being on ADs, she's asking for ADVICE, possibly because she doesn't know about ADs, the effects they might have, how they might affect nanny's ability to care for her children etc. which she has been given, along with some rather undeserved comments by people who've jumped to conclusions.

OP: I think you nanny is being sensible and proactive by seeking help you and you are normal to worry about what she has told you but do take heart from the posts on here - plenty of people with depression on ADs are able to care for children, including registered childminders who have to fill in a health declaration form for OFSTED. Do keep an eye on your nanny but also take note of what other people have said regarding the DDA and dismssing her. Also be prepared that she might need to take some time off so she can make sure she is fit to work - better take the ADs and have a couple of weeks off than struggle on without them being completely incompetent. If you are concerned then can you discreetly ask people who might see your nanny with the children how they feel she's coping? No need to say that she's depressed/on ADs/you have concerns - just bring it up in conversation.

I hope your nanny gets well soon.

What would you do if you were going through what she is going through?

Should parents who are taking ads give their children away?

She was honest and told you what is going on. If you're worried ask her how she's feeling/coping, what support she needs and go from there.
She might need/appreciate some time off for the first weeks if the side effects are too much.

You do know you cant fire her just because she's on ads right?

Hoping you've got some clarity now, and assuming you're not thinking of firing her - a coupke of things which may be useful:

o if you're on those terms, suggest she takes the anti-ds at night - gets the initial nausea over with when she's least likely to notice

o if she's been telling you everything that's been going on so far in this detail, then you might want to consider how you're maintaining your professional relationship with her. Are you giving her enough space to do her job, or are you trying to be her friend? If it's her thats telling you this much unprompted, then that might be a trigger to reconsider her employment. The depression - short of palpable inability - shouldn't.

As someone who suffers from chronic depression, which is basically always there, but major bouts of it have been triggered by external events, I can understand a little of your worries.

To be honest, when I started taking ADs for one of my major bouts of depression I needed to have time off work. Two of these times have been since having children abd I am lucky I was working as I was able to have time off from the children as well.

Your nanny is going to know best whether she needs time off work. Once she is established on tfe ADs then it is very likely that if you didn't know she was taking them, you wouldn't realise.

i wouldnt be concerned, my mum is a childminder and is on anti depressants she has been on them since my papa died a few years ago, when she registered as a childminder she was already on them. you need get a letter from you doctor to say that you are mentally fit and that they see no reason why you would not be able to work with children (every childminder needs this done) my mum was a little worried that it would go against her and spoke to her doctor and the doctor assured her that this would no be the case and that he seen no reason that would class her as unfit to watch children. she is now fully registered and looks after children and is more than capable.

i can kind of see why you are worried, but as a mum who has had postnatal pyschosis which has led on to sevre pnd, should i not be allowed to look after my kids?

seriously, i was hopitalised in a psych unit but then had to come home and although my dp has taken lots of time of work i have had to look after my kids, i take anti d's and have also had medicine for my psychosis and to help with sleep, but still looked after my kids and been fine to do so (was actually assessed by SS due to being in hospital and a danger to myself etc) but they and the boys school have been supportive of me being the boys sole carer.

talk to her, see if she needs to lessen her responsibilities, ie do less housework etc for a short while, but be kind please xx

Athene - events in peoples lives can lead onto clinical depression - it's otherwise known as Adjustment Disorder leading to depression,

It's what happened to dH.

Tread carefully here and read about the Disability Discrimination Act

I'[m no expert but I thought ADs were for someone who has depression. And I thought depression was an illness. It seems to me that someon who is down because a lott of bad things have been happening is haveing a normal human reaction to her circumstances and not someone who is suffering from depression.

If I had a nanny who I believed was truly depressed and I thought leaving my children with her put them at even a very small risk, you betchya I would make other childcare arrangements. I don't know what the legalities are, but I would find away to protect my children before I worried about the morality or legality of my decision.

Obviously, I'm sure it's possibly for someone on AD's to not be a risk. But IF I thought she was a risk... my children's wefare would be second to nothing.

As a mum taking ADs, I worried about telling my friends for exactly these reasons. I was worried they wouldn't trust me to look after their children (on playdates) any more.

As it was, when I started taking them I didn't have any side effects, and immediately felt much more focussed and proactive about doing things. Recently when things got a bit harder, I upped the dose, and although I had more enthusiasm and patience than ever, the downside was some drowsiness, so I dropped down again.

It's hard. Knowing she is on ADs means she has depression. But taking them should mean she's a more effective nanny than a nanny with untreated depression. I'd talk to her about what the GP advises in terms of time off when she starts taking them, and take things from there.

watchthisspace i think you are getting a very harsh reception here. I read your OP as wanting to be supportive but not intrusive but also (and understandably in my view) wanting to know if it would have any effect on her ability to look after children.

Everyone seems to think you are considering firing her!

Nannying is an incredibly intense and demanding job and not unlike many other jobs in my view. I would also want to understand if there were any side effects to ANY medication being taken by my nanny (not jsut anti Ds).

I'm a mum who has been on AD's and now has a nanny, firstly I wouldn't expect to know whether she was on AD's or not. It's personal, if you see now change in performance and your DC's aren't picking anyting up, then she is coping at work, even if she needs some help in other areas of her life. Everyone has a different reaction to ADs, but I was never drowsy with them, and actually far more together and able to function once they had kicked it. I would be far more worried by a nanny who clearly had serious issues, wasn't coping and wasn't willing to seek help.

Also, can I suggest you do some research into anti-depressants? You seem to know very little about them.

Plenty of people take AD's and are fully capable of doing their jobs! She may need some time off while starting to take them as the side-effects can be pretty nasty.

Sounds like you should have a little more sympathy tbh, sorry to be harsh - I know you're only worried for your DC's, but if she's doing a good job now while she's not taking them, surely once she's happier on AD's, she'll do an even better one?

your focus should be whether she's doing her job or not - it's got sod all to do with being on AD's.

I would be concerned too. However most people keep their use of ads to themselves so there are far more people on them and functioning normally than one would imagine. If she is not doing her job to your satisfaction then that is a cause for concern but it doesn't really matter whether she is on ads or not. Focus on her performance and try to keep your communication professional. Do not be a confidante for your nanny. You may regret it.

Am really glad to see the resounding message on here. I am on antidepressants and I am left alone with children over night and very very long hours, I am absolutely fine. I have glowing references and am very very good at my job. However if I was not on them then I wouldn't be able to function as well. Just like a diabetic needs insulin. I did a degree (primary teaching) while on antidepressants and taught classes of up to 30, I look after children with additional needs, newborn babies, tantruming toddlers and I cope very very well.

I just hope your nannys honesty doesnt bite her on the bum.

You are clearly not comfortable with a nanny who has gone on to ADs so you will need to deal with it.

You seem to have no idea about mental illness at all.

I left MN but lurked and this has made me so [shock that I had to post.

If she needs antidepressents then she is probably going to be in a better frame of mind to do her job on them and getting better rather than not taking them.

I dont think that a nanny taking antidepressants is in itself a cause for concern.

Sorry but that makes my blood boiling..I'm a cm on ads. I have a problem and I'm sorting it out. The parents dont know it as it never really affected my professionnal life and its none of their business anyway. I wouldn't expect to be discriminated because I'm ads.

How many mothers cope on anti-ds with depression? Really, it sounds like your nanny is having a perfectly sane response to so much trauma, and taking the anti-ds is the equivalent of taking painkillers for sprain - please doen't write her off because it's a mental rather than a physical health problem - they're both recoverable from.