Questionnaire from new employer - do you declare mental health issues?

[GhostOfAWasp]

DH has been offered a new job and has been given a questionnaire to fill in asking about his mental health amongst other things.

He started taking ADs back in March after he was diagnosed with depression. (His dad died last year which really affected him but it can't all be put down to that.) He has never missed any work because of this and it doesn't therefore affect his ability to do the job - but just wondering whether it's best to be straight up about this? I'm guessing that this employer will need to be sensitive as the role is vaguely related to mental health anyway, but I'm just wondering if realistically, this might bias them against him? Apparently it's all for occupational health, but there's a box to tick giving consent for them to contact your doctor for further info and I just think that's wrong.

Anyone have any experience of this - positive or negative?

If he has been offered the job then your DH should fill out the form truthfully. If he is not sure how much detail to disclose then he could discuss it with his GP.

I've never ticked that box. I know employers aren't allowed to discriminate but I also know that there is a lot of prejudice around. If your dh truly beleives that his mh issues would never impinge on his work, why should he tell them?

They aren't allowed to be biased it's it discrimination. If he takes ad's for a long period of time (not sure if 6 months or a year) then he will be covered under the equalities act.

I don't think it is unreasonabale to be on ad's after the death of a parent, nearly everyone I know has been.

IMO he should declare it. If he becomes iller, or it re-emerges and he is absent from work due to it, he is completely covered. If he doesn't declare it, he could be liable for dismissal should it re-emerge (and it may)

I think he should say he has been on ad's since March following the death of his father

I second asking the GP. I once had to do something similar and was given a phrase which was something like 'short course of treatment for reactive anxiety following the death of a friend.' very formal but concise phrase. Also if he has already been offered the job the 'job deciders' may not even see the form - it will probably just be administrative staff or the health insurers.

Thank you. I think that as employers go these guys are probably as good as it gets, but I know a previous employer I had who did discriminate (based on a range of factors) and generally got away with it. If I'd told him anything it would have been disastrous. I'd like to think that generally things are improving but still...

I think all the doctor would do is confirm the treatment eg this brand of AD for this many months so far and perhaps any ''formal'' diagnosis eg
Mild depression, moderate anxiety etc but probably not even that. I don't think the doctor could go into details but an appointment would confirm what the GP will/won't say.

Ps if you have limited time to return the form GP may be able to do by phone.

I used to write it down because I thought being honest with employers was best, but since been told otherwise. Makes sense. I used to work at a Currys as a teenager and when my manager realised I couldn't chat to people or sell for toffee, I was told to 'watch cartoons and get over it, bright colours and humour cheers people up'. One of those situations where I think you have to do what you think and hope for the best. In this case I probably would.