How Mental Disorders Are Covered Under The Americans With Disabilities Act
Aaron Johnson is a fact checker and expert on qualitative research design and methodology.
If you have a mental disorder such as major depression, you may wonder what your rights are when you apply for a job or are up for a promotion.
Obviously, if you had a physical disability it wouldn’t be legal for an employer to discriminate against you, thanks to the Americans With Disabilities Act , which came into effect in 1992 to prevent private employers, state and local governments, employment agencies, and labor unions from discriminating against people with disabilities.
It applies to job application procedures, hiring, firing, advancement, compensation, job training, and more. Businesses or companies with 15 or more employees are required to comply with the ADA.
In 2008, important changes to the ADA expanded the definition of disability, making it possible for people with “invisible” conditions, such as depression, to be protected, even when their symptoms are controlled by medications, lifestyle changes, or therapy. If you’re experiencing depression, knowing your rights in the workplace can make a substantial difference in how you cope.
For more mental health resources, see our National Helpline Database.
What Causes Seasonal Affective Disorder
Researchers dont know exactly what causes seasonal depression. Lack of sunlight may trigger the condition if youre prone to getting it. The theories suggest:
- Biological clock change: When theres less sunlight, your biological clock shifts. This internal clock regulates your mood, sleep and hormones. When it shifts, youre out of step with the daily schedule youve been used to and cant adjust to changes in daylight length.
- Brain chemical imbalance: Brain chemicals called neurotransmitters send communications between nerves. These chemicals include serotonin, which contributes to feelings of happiness. If youre at risk of SAD, you may already have less serotonin activity. Since sunlight helps regulate serotonin, a lack of sunlight in the winter can make the situation worse. Serotonin levels can fall further, leading to depression.
- Vitamin D deficiency: Your serotonin level also gets a boost from vitamin D. Since sunlight helps produce vitamin D, less sun in the winter can lead to a vitamin D deficiency. That change can affect your serotonin level and your mood.
- Melatonin boost: Melatonin is a chemical that affects your sleep patterns and mood. The lack of sunlight may stimulate an overproduction of melatonin in some people. You may feel sluggish and sleepy during the winter.
- Negative thoughts: People with SAD often have stress, anxiety and negative thoughts about the winter. Researchers arent sure if these negative thoughts are a cause or effect of seasonal depression.
When Should I Seek Help For Work Depression
If your feelings of depression dont seem to be going away, its important you seek help. Visiting your GP can be a good first step, while using Occupational Health support at your work can also be helpful. Remember, your condition is treatable.
Alternatively, you can get in touch with Priory for the very best in private treatment for depression. There are many different of avenues of support available, such as talking therapies including cognitive behavioural therapy and antidepressant medication if your depression is more severe. Call us on 0800 840 3219 or make an enquiry today and find out how our expert, established treatment for depression can help you to get your mental health back on track.
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Battling An Ugly Monster: What To Do When Depression Hits
Roughly 3 million people are diagnosed with depression in the UK, and women are twice as likely to develop depression as men. For some, a depressive episode can last for 6 to 8 months.
If youve been struggling with depression, you likely know the warning signs: losing interest in hobbies, persistent tiredness, and lack of appetite, just to name a few. But you dont have to deal with prolonged depressive episodes.
Do you want to know more? Keep reading to discover 3 things you should do when you feel depression looming over you.
Causes And Risk Factors
Depression is not a mood you can just get over. It is a disease in which the brain ceases to register pleasurable activities, says Angelino. Indeed, MRI studies with depressed people have found changes in the parts of the brain that play a significant role in depression.
Women are about twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with depression. Youre also more likely to develop depression if you are between ages 45 and 64, nonwhite, or divorced, and if you never graduated high school, cant work or are unemployed, and dont have health insurance. Other risks for depression include factors such as these:
- Experiencing stressful events in your life, such as losing your job, having problems in your marriage, major health problems, and/or financial challenges.
- Having a bad childhood, such as one involving abuse, poor relationships with your parents, and/or your parents own marital problems.
- Certain personality traits, such as getting extremely upset when youre stressed.
- A family history of depression, which can increase your own risk three or four times.
Depression is far more common than you might think, with nearly one out of 10 adults depressed at any time, about half of them severely.
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Information For Family Carers And Friends
You can get support if you are a carer, friend or family member of someone living with depression.
Being a carer might mean you can claim certain benefits that might help you and the person you care for. For more information, please see the Mental Health and Money Advice services website:www.mentalhealthandmoneyadvice.org/en/welfare-benefits/what-benefits-are-available-for-mental-health-carers/
You could also get in touch with carer support groups or sibling support groups. You can search for local groups in your area online or ask your GP.
You can ask your local authority for a carers assessment if you need more practical support to help care for someone.
As a carer you should be involved in decisions about care planning. There are rules about information sharing and confidentiality which may make it difficult for you to get all the information you need in some circumstances.
You can find out more information about:
How can I support the person that I care for?
You might find it easier to support someone with depression if you understand their symptoms, treatment and self-management skills. You can use this to support them to get help and stay well.
Below are some initial suggestions for providing practical day to day support to someone with depression.
You can find out more information about:
You can find more information about:
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Possible Triggers Of Depression
Depression is a complex condition with many possible causes. Even though a person may be more susceptible to depression than someone else, they usually only experience a depressive episode when a stressful event triggers the condition.
Possible triggers include:
- stress at work, home, or school
- feeling isolated, alone, or unloved
- living with abuse or mistreatment
- medical problems, such as Alzheimers disease, stroke, or erectile dysfunction
- some medications, including certain antibiotics and blood pressure drugs
- a significant life event, such as a bereavement or divorce
- a traumatic incident, such as a car accident or sexual assault
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Consider Employee Assistance Programs
Employee assistance programs offer mental health-related services to employees for personal or work concerns.
These programs are generally free. Theyre always confidential and offer you access to licensed therapists for a short time who can help you manage various issues, including depression.
Theyre also commonly available.
Over 95% of companies with more than 5,000 employees have EAPs, reports the International Employee Assistance Professional Association, and 80% of companies with 1,001 to 5,000 employees have EAPs.
Start Monitoring Your Sleep And Wakefulness
Sleep disturbance is one of the classic signs of a severe depressive episode. Now is the time to start checking your sleep patterns and habits. Dont let a disordered sleep cycle get on top of you. Try to stick to a strict bedtime, use no devices before lights-out, drink lots of calming tea, and set a guaranteed wakeup time in the morning. Make notes of how your sleep patterns are shifting, too your therapist and physician will find those helpful in monitoring how your conditions changing.
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Set Your Messages Aside
A common symptom of depression is difficulty concentrating. If a constant flow of e-mails and phone calls is interrupting your train of thought, you may be diverted from the more important tasks you need to accomplish. If this is a challenge for you, resist the urge to constantly check your e-mail, and allow your phone calls to be handled by voicemail. Set aside several times throughout the day to respond to these messages.
What To Do If You Think You Are Depressed
Reach out to a mental health provider, who can help develop a plan to treat and address your symptoms.
In the meantime, start small and simple. If you tell yourself youre going on a five-minute walk, youll probably end up walking for longer than that, Dr. Gold said. But its hard when youre exhausted and sad to make yourself do anything. Getting out of the house wont alleviate all your symptoms, but any kind of movement can help you feel a bit better, she said.
You can write down coping mechanisms that have been helpful for you calling a friend, or going for a quick run and keep the list on your desk or on your dresser for when youll need them. Pay attention to what works for you, Dr. Gold said. If you dont like mindfulness, dont force it, she said. Do the things that actually help you feel better in the moments when you feel bad.
Audio produced by Kate Winslett.
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Signs Of Depression At Work
Here are some signs that you may be working while depressed:
- Missing work:It could be you start calling in sick or make excuses for needing a personal day.
- Trouble concentrating:Just cant keep your mind focused on work? If it feels like youre in a fog all the time or in a hopeless state of mind, this can be an indication that youre trying to work while depressed.
- Missed deadlines and goals:Inability to get work done or complete tasks, avoidance of phone calls and meetings, failing to achieve personal or career goalsthese can be signs of depression at work.
- Feelings of depression only when youre at work:It could be that your workplace is the cause of depression. If youre largely overcome with depression while at work, but not as much elsewhere, it could be that feelings of depression are driven by your job. Serious workplace issues like harassment, discrimination, abuse, and bullying can eventually lead to feelings of depression, if left unaddressed.
- Fatigue and lack of energy:Tired all the time? Feel like you have no energy to do your job? Persistent fatigue can be a sign of depression.
What To Do When Depression Hits You Hard
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This blog post will answer the question, What to do when depression hits you hard? and cover topics like types of depression, symptoms, and signs that you have depression, possible triggers, and also certain tips for dealing with a depressive episode.
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How To Reach Out For Depression Support
Look for support from people who make you feel safe and cared for. The person you talk to doesnt have to be able to fix you they just need to be a good listenersomeone wholl listen attentively and compassionately without being distracted or judging you.
Make face-time a priority. Phone calls, social media, and texting are great ways to stay in touch, but they dont replace good old-fashioned in-person quality time. The simple act of talking to someone face to face about how you feel can play a big role in relieving depression and keeping it away.
Try to keep up with social activities even if you dont feel like it. Often when youre depressed, it feels more comfortable to retreat into your shell, but being around other people will make you feel less depressed.
Find ways to support others. Its nice to receive support, but research shows you get an even bigger mood boost from providing support yourself. So find waysboth big and smallto help others: volunteer, be a listening ear for a friend, do something nice for somebody.
Care for a pet. While nothing can replace the human connection, pets can bring joy and companionship into your life and help you feel less isolated. Caring for a pet can also get you outside of yourself and give you a sense of being neededboth powerful antidotes to depression.
10 tips for staying connected
Talk With Coworkers Or Friends If You Feel Comfortable Doing So
When we are depressed, we have a tendency to isolate and close ourselves off, says Ely. But that is actually the worst thing we can do.
Avoiding other people can make the impact of depression on your work worse and it can make it harder for you to get through the day.
Its OK to communicate to coworkers and colleagues that youre going through a difficult time and that you may need some additional support, says Matos.
Having an open dialogue with coworkers and employers about your experience with depression not only normalizes it but allows them to provide the support you might need to do well at work, she says.
Not everyone can open up to their colleagues, and not all workplaces have a safe space to allow employees to discuss their mental health.
If thats the case, it can help to talk with a friend about whats going on with you. This might help lighten the load.
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But How Does That Help Me When I Am Depressed
It is hope that a person in a depressive state needs.
We dont need someone telling us to go get some exercise, play an instrument, or listen to music. Or any other activity that typically makes someone who feels sad feel better .
We need hope even a sliver of a thought that we might be able to get out of this state.
Do you ever hear the phrase People who have depression are living in the past?
First of all, that is an over-generalization and an oversimplification rolled into one romanticized phrase. But even then, there is a bit of truth in there. Why do mental health professionals recommend their patients to practice mindfulness? What is the core tenet of mindfulness? Staying present.
Are You Covered By The Ada
The ADA, along with the 2008 amendment, states that persons qualify for disability if they:
- Have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities and/or bodily functions . Major life activities include, but are not limited to, caring for yourself, performing manual tasks, seeing, hearing, eating, sleeping, walking, standing, lifting, bending, speaking, breathing, learning, reading, concentrating, thinking, communicating, and working.
- Have a history of such an impairment
- Are regarded as having such an impairment
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What Alternatives To Antidepressants Are Available
Alternative treatments for depression have emerged that attempt to help the brain create new connections more efficiently most notably ketamine and psychedelic therapy . These interventions appear to be about as effective as antidepressants, improving depression scores in roughly 60 percent of the people who try them. More significant is that they are able to treat some of the people who dont respond to the traditional medications. The drugs are seen as riskier and more invasive than antidepressants, though, so are meant to be used as a last resort, not a first-line treatment, Dr. Sanacora said.
Some psychiatrists have also started to recommend nonpharmaceutical treatments to help people with depression. Dr. Hellerstein said that when he evaluates a new patient, he now pays more attention to habits, such as sleep, diet and exercise, and would often recommend behavioral changes, therapy or meditation before medication. Theres research suggesting that exercise also may help new connections grow in the brain, and in some studies exercise has been shown to be as effective as antidepressants at treating depression. Meditation has been found to help with feelings of stress and anxiety, and theres a clear connection between sleep deprivation and anxiety in the brain.
Youre making, I think, a more holistic assessment of that persons way of living than maybe you did in the late 1980s, Dr. Hellerstein said.
What You Can Do When Depression Is Hitting You Hard
If you are feeling that depression is creating havoc in your life and youd like to work through it and create a better place and well-being for yourself.
Tackling depression as soon as symptoms develop can help people recover more quickly. Even those who have experienced depression for a long time might find that making changes to the way they think and behave improves their mood.
The following tips may help people deal with depressive symptoms:
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Dealing With The Winter Blues
For some people, the reduced daylight hours of winter lead to a form of depression known as seasonal affective disorder . SAD can make you feel like a completely different person to who you are in the summer: hopeless, sad, tense, or stressed, with no interest in friends or activities you normally love. No matter how hopeless you feel, though, there are plenty of things you can do to keep your mood stable throughout the year.