Should I put down that I have a disability regaurding mental health

[Jenmarble]

Normally when i apply for a job I say that I have no disability. But my GP thinks that as my condition is long term. that I could tick the box.
Its basically anxiety related/possible Asperger. so i have done this for a few jobs - and never heard anything back. So I'm thinking, is there much point saying anythin?. Employers can still discriminate indirectly? I apply for customer service type jobs and I think it would put them off.

If you were me what would you do?. thanks :)

You do not need to declare a MH disability when you apply for a new job. The purpose of the Equality Act is to put you in a level playing field with people who do not have a disability. Employers who ask for that information before they've even interviewed people are flouting employment law.

The correct order is -

1. Apply for role, giving your qualifications and experience, no need to mention MH or physical disability.

2, if selected for interview, attend, give it your best.

1. If successful, they may ask for basic health information, including any reasonable adjustments, for example if you have a back problem, special chair may be needed, or if you have registered as having asthma, then your employer will need to know you cannot be in a certain environment. At this point you can either choose to declare your disability, or if you feel unwilling to, you should not feel forced into declaring it.

Thing is, if they've offered you the job, and you then declare you have a disability, and subsequently they withdraw their offer, you have them banged to rights, as they are invariably discriminating against you. If you declare any sooner, you will never know if you've been discriminated against.

thanks a lot for your reply. its really helpful. I suppose i thought it would be ok to mention my illness because they had a 'mindful employer' badge. I ve also heard from someone that if they find out you have a disability and you didn't declare it they can dismiss. I don't really feel comfortable declaring a disability on application form, so in future i dont think i will. Every job i've applied for has the disability question, making you chose yes/no , although on this application it said 'prefer not to answer' as an option as well .

I wouldn't mention it.

While the company may have a mindful employer badge, it will be individuals doing the shortlisting and (unfairly) having concerns about someone going long term sick with stress or similar, which will cause them personally additional work.

Why choose the candidate who they perceive is more likely to go off sick when there's another equally qualified candidate for the role?

that's true. There no way to find out if you've been discriminated against on application form. And i did have some sick leave in another job so it would be awkward if they found that out in a reference.

Its basically anxiety related/possible Asperger

Re "Possible Asperger's" why don't you get a diagnosis? If you are diagnosed with ASD, then work have to put reasonable adjustments into place for you, to enable you to do your job.

Would your GP back you up with a letter stating you have a disability as your anxiety is so bad?

www.gov.uk/when-mental-health-condition-becomes-disability

thanks for the link. i have to wait a long time to get to see a doctor who can diagnose a condition formally. So it's a bit up in the air at the moment. My current job has given me adjustments. But theres not much more they can do and the pay and hours are too low for me to live on.

I wouldn't declare it at application stage. I would wait till I was offered the job and then state it when completing a health questionnaire.

You might want to check whether the employer you are applying for operates the 'two ticks' scheme; if so and if you meet the minimum essential criteria for the job you are guaranteed an interview as a disabled person, so that is worth doing.

Otherwise the only purpose of declaring at this stage is for equal opportunities monitoring purposes, it should have no impact either way on your application. As to whether you want to declare if/when you are offered the job, it's up to you. You definitely can't be (legally) dismissed for failing to disclose a disability [unless you work in the kind of industry where you have to be health checked for safety reasons, e.g. pilots, operators of heavy machinery etc.]. However if you want to ask the employer for adjustments to take into account your disability, of course you will need to tell them at that point....

Actually, they CAN ask if you have a disability before they interview you - otherwise why do schemes like Disability Confident / Two Ticks exist?

You don't have to answer though. You don't have to declare at any stage BUT be aware that it's in your interests to declare before starting the job so that you get the support you need from the start.

Employers can be resentful of those who don't disclose. Through my work I know of several very dangerous near misses within different employers because their employee didn't disclose.