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Is anxiety a disability (for workplace purposes)

3 replies

sniffle12 · 20/02/2017 17:11

I have had anxiety for all of my teenage and adult life. I control it well such that I am not currently on medication nor do I ever take time off work, but I still have to put mental effort in all day, every day, to stay well and not spiral. I have also had recent counselling to cope with a recent spell of anxiety-depression. I also have physical symptoms including anxiety-triggered IBS.

My workplace has certain development opportunities open to staff with disabilities and long-term health conditions (under the 2010 Equality Act) and I am wondering whether it would be reasonable to consider myself eligible for these. The whole aim of the development programme is to help remove barriers to progression for these staff and I feel that I do experience barriers as a result of my anxiety in terms of the stigma around this and feeling I can't fully disclose or acknowledge it for fear of being seen as 'not able to cope'.

I think my concern is that as I keep my anxiety so well hidden in the workplace, I may be viewed as overplaying it just to access these opportunities. And then you get the usual lot who (whether they say it out loud or not) don't even believe it's a condition and think we're just over-sensitive... Hmm

Any advice appreciated.

OP posts:
Hatemylifenow · 20/02/2017 17:20

I don't know but I'm sure a disability is basically anything which affects your day to day ability to do stuff.

AnxiousCarer · 20/02/2017 18:57

Yes I'm pretty sure it is. If you talk to your occupational health department they should be able to advise you furthur.

Iris65 · 22/02/2017 12:17

Mental health difficulties are considered disabilities if they are enduring and affect the ability to carry out day to day activites including in the workplace. This can be intermittent - as I also experience:
www.gov.uk/when-mental-health-condition-becomes-disability

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