Off sick and manager wants to have a catchup?

[Applerumbles]

I’ve been off sick from work with MH issues for well over a year.
My line manager has just emailed to ask tor a catchup call to see how I am and what they can do to support me.
I can’t face talking to him (or anyone really) so would it be ok to say that I’m not well enough for a call and that I am still getting medical treatment for my illness?
Im not sure he should be contacting me if I am off sick and providing fitnotes?

Also request that you bring along a fri3nd, support worker or union rep and have the meeting minutes and recorded to avoid any potential confusion.

Then the conversation needs to take place to convey she is not expecting her illness to resolve and she is chronic and enduring and then the workplace can seek a more permanent solution to their staffing -
surely that is the proper Way forwarc
d rather than avoiding ?
OP could write a letter / email ??
Just be honest

I think I’m just a solution focused person.

Its a real thing you know!

And yes I understand chronic illnesses!

I can see that no solutions are required for this thread though. However where there’s will there’s always a way!

Me too !!!
I also understand long term conditions / serious mental health disorders /

@Bumdrops that is a great idea but it isn’t going to happen in this scenario by the looks of things!

No solutions sought except advice on how to side step a phone call

I’ll tell my psychiatrist when I see him next week that a solution needs to be found. I’m sure he will bow to your superior experience in his field of expertise.

I suffered from severe male violence during childhood. I was then bullied and sexually as an adult by a male boss and the workplace failed to take any steps to intervene. I could carry on a delightful conservation with a perfect stranger but I was physically unable to be in the same building as the male boss or in fact the employer. Even emailing the company made me vomit. Because it caused a physiological response based on the way my body had reacted and evolved during my childhood.

so - yeah - some conversations can be harder than others and it’s not a matter of just trying really hard.

even if none of those are an issue for the OP it is highly likely that the employment relationship/workplace creates a level of stressor fear in the OP that means her physical reactions as well as psychological reactions (such that they can be considered separate) make the communication understandably difficult

which doesn’t mean that the OP doesn’t need to find a way to address this. But it means that at not be simple to do so and it’s entirely understandable she’s freaked out about.

If he has been unable to help you why not find a new psychiatrist?

Alternative therapies/medicines etc

Thank you for your support and understanding. I’m so sorry you have been through all that.

@2024onwardsandup

Please try to avoid playground tactics otherwise I will have to report you to the mods

What alternative therapies and medications do you suggest would help

If only life was as simple as your mind seems to think.
He is an expert in his field and has saved my life several times over the last few years.

Like I said to someone else maybe I did misread it or don’t fully understand it

Op

has not actually said what her issue is though or what she has tried so far which is what I asked originally

Bloody hell, some of the responses are shocking!
You are entitled to the payments you are getting but as others have said, you may lose your contract.
One thing people aren’t realising, is MH support is really poor. If you get cancer or a physical illness, everyone tries so hard to catch it as soon as possible as it is well known that early intervention equals better outcomes.
MH works the other way, you end up in crisis before you get proper help and even that is lacking eg no therapy in most psychiatric wards only meds. It’s hard to come back from.

You could reframe that question to your psychiatrist and say ;
in addition to my medication review, can I let you know what I’m struggling with, and what my goals are -
that should help shape what your treatment plan is in addition to medication.
if you are under NHS psychiatric care, you will be under secondary mental health service.
if your goals are around improving your activities of living
emotional regulation
improving activity scheduling
tackling low self esteem
overcoming trauma
etc etc
then you can have a conversation about how u may access such support to improve your quality of life

I have not suggested you find a solution to your MH disorder and get back to work, just work on how you will manage liaising with the workplace - if u can be honest about what that barrier is, you may find you can access some support for that particular barrier -
psychiatrists work within a medical model predominately - so focus on medication that can be so important, but they also advocate for working towards tackling the issues from a biopsychosocial framework- which rarely includes avoidance as the best way forward

Check the sickness absence policy. There will be stipulations about when you need to check in. You may be able to ask to speak to HR or Occupational Health instead of your manager, if it helps.

Another great response by @Bumdrops

op please understand I am not attacking you at all - and I don’t want to exacerbate your situation

I was genuinely interested in the solutions you have explored - I know MH resources are poor

Since you have a psychiatrist who you are actively engaging with, why don’t you ask them how to handle the call with your manager? They will know what will be appropriate in the context of your illness. No-one on this board even knows your condition or the severity of it so you won’t find solutions here.

Realistically you will need to engage with your employer in some format.

You’ve mentioned being a member of a union, they should be able to assist you with this and may do some of the correspondence on your behalf.

So that you have an idea of what’s coming, it’s likely that the insurance policy that is paying you has requirements for your employer. These will usually include making efforts to get the person back to work and capability assessments. They are likely at some point to ask you to see an occupational health assessor, and may also ask for a medical report from your GP or specialist.

That will be with a view to working out if you’re likely to be able to return to work in the future. As you say, from your perspective that income protection appears to be available through to state retirement age. However - the details of how that works in the background typically varies depending on whether it’s short term, or permanent. So they will need to start working towards determining that.

Maybe you could read up on mental health conditions that are serious enough to require inpatient treatment. It's not about 'want to'.

The ignorance on this thread is shocking.

@Bumdrops post is a statement of the bleeding obvious rather than anything of use.

Thanks, I will speak to him about that and see what he recommends.