[ken9018]

Hey all, so I started my internship this past Monday and missed today because of anxiety. I didn't want to let them know I had anxiety but I realized I have to and have been in contact with my manager and the office of disability to get accommodations. Has anyone else done this, and how did it go? Did your manager or coworkers treat you any different? Any and all comments welcome!

[sito]

I don't want to tell company of mental health issues. They aren't friendly with this issue

[bpforever1]

I'll be honest. I don't think many employers are that understanding and supportive about mental illness,especially where I live now. They can easily hire someone without an illness. However, if you are hired and request accommodations, they are by law supposed to provide accommodations if you live in the USA. If your co-workers are not understanding about your situation, they may treat you differently. I would only ask for accommodations if they are absolutely necessary. It would be nice if we lived in a fair world where everybody is supportive and nice, but the reality is different.

[Carmina]

They should be supportive, here in the UK they are actually required to by law, but that doesn't mean in practice that happens. But some are, I 'came out' at work with my manager a few months back and they have given me time to attend appointments, conselling and even a support group weekly.

I do think more people being open about mental health is better for us all in the long run, we should not treat such things as needing to be swept under the carpet.

[bpforever1]

Carmina, I am glad that there are laws in the UK too for disabilities accommodations. However, I live in Asia, and mental illness is considered a taboo still. I cannot jeopardize my situation and think that disclosing my illness would not be beneficial for me. There are no laws here for mental illness in the workplace. They do have laws for receiving payment if you are disabled and can't work, but I don't qualify for these either. I think it is good to be open to some extent about mental illness in some places, however, all places are not as open as you might expect, especially Asia.

[Carmina]

I agree, I just wanted to offer a different perspective because the OP is thinking what best to do for themselves and could end up being scared off if everyone just says 'don't do it'. I'm not suggesting they should do it either, just to be clear, but just to weigh up both the pros and the cons.