How serious is a diagnosis of BP in terms of records?

I was diagnosed some time ago at the state psych hospital so my records are known to the government, just that they are not accessible without a password. I think my dx is BPII but my p-doc never told me which, just that I have BP. I am also diagnosed with OCD and possible ADD and in comparison, I feel like BP is the most serious one. How will employers etc. react to a diagnosis of BP in contrast with more "benign" ones like depression/anxiety/adjustment disorder? Why is it more "serious" than depression etc. anyway? I am mostly depressed (suicidally so sometimes) and my hypomanias are briefer and not life-threatening in any sense. It's mostly mixed for me. I get how something like schizophrenia can put off a future employer but how about BP? This is all in case I have to declare my MI as we are required to do so here.

Sorry for the somewhat incoherent and rambling post - it's early in the morning and my thoughts are in a mess.

We have patient confidentiality laws in place in Florida. There would be no reason your employer would/should ever have access to your personal medical records. Only your medical providers would have such knowledge. Is this not so in Nashville??

certain "jobs" require you to release you med records,, this the reason I did not renew my gov clearence

Yeah, there are HIPAA laws in place, your place of employment can't access your medical records unless you sign a document saying they can. Here is the HIPAA website: Health Information Privacy

I'm sure for some (or all, I don't know) government jobs, you are required to disclose/grant access to all health/MI records, and understandably so -- but telling a regular job your diagnosis? That's BS.

What type of employer is it?

Sorry for the confusion but I am not actually in the States. I simply put Nashville on a whim because I adore country music. (and also because I am paranoid about listing my real location) Where I am, most (if not every) job application asks you something to the effect of "Do you have or have you ever been diagnosed with a mental health condition?". You can put "no" but if they somehow find out one day you could be sued/sacked.

I'm currently working as a teacher so I am a public servant and I am concerned the government will have access to these records. I did lie on the form and I do wonder if they would have hired me if I declared. Presumably my records would not show up had I gone to a private practitioner, but because the hospital I went to is state-owned there is always the fear that they can check it even if they probably won't.

You are a public servant teacher? And they can access your medical files?

Teachers here are employed by the education ministry. How it works is that we get assigned to the public schools after we graduate from university. I'm an intern teacher but I'm still a public servant. Because my records are with the health ministry, I feel like they are not so secure as compared to if I was in the private sector.

I see. I would not tell them then. And if you are stable, they should have no problem with you. I don't know where you live, but it seems like it would be illegal to fire you.

Hi,

You live in a different country to me so I am not sure of the legalities based on where you are.

Here, in my personal experience only, I have not had my health records handed over to an employer? And certainly not when applying for a postion. I would consider that somewhat discriminatory in the application process.

However, I shall be quite honest and state, that when signing up employment contracts I have been asked to disclose prior MI / treating conditions. I was not honest ........ I did not want my employer to know .............

If mental illness is stigmatized in your society, then your diagnosis or lying about it on a job application could jeopardize your job or your career; however, unless you somehow call attention to yourself, the education and health ministries might never communicate and reveal your secret. If and when it's ever discovered, your diagnosis could well be mitigated by your exemplary performance as a teacher, and your deception in your application could fairly be attributed to your fear of job discrimination due to the stigma associated with mental illness. If you're already an intern after falsely denying a diagnosis of mental illness, you've already gotten away with it. Trust no one with these secrets and you'll be fine.

Thanks for your reply. I was told by my GP too that unless I flipped out and they discover that I had lied, I wouldn't get into hot soup. I guess I'm concerned because I'm part of a group to raise awareness for MH and at some point they want us to break anonymity. I'm not ready for that and it might come back to bite me in the ***, so this is one more reason I won't reveal my identity now.

However, they are obliged to report you if they deem you a danger to yourself or others and I'm sure this is the case in the US too. I have been a danger to myself but not to others, though my OCD does provide me with unwelcome obsessions of harming others sometimes. Therein lies my other concern that they will report me for this.

'Breaking anonymity' is no longer a safe option after you felt that you had to lie on a job application about a diagnosis. I live in the US and can't risk damaging the reputation of the business that I represent by being open with others about my illness; the stigma is too great.