I was wondering if a job needed a letter stating you are no longer suffering from a mental illness does that mean your illness has to be “cured” or completely managed?
I know schizophrenia isn’t curable from what I have been told.
Thanks!
Should be fine w/ letter stating that your condition is “managed” or condition “does not impair your ability to complete tasks or job specific criteria” or " doesnt impose a threat to him/herself or others in the workplace". I would think it would be hard to get a pdoc to say you are “cured”, maybe remission? Tho not sure why you would need one with hippa laws and discrimination policys out there regarding medical records, but i guess that depends on the type of job. Dont go trying to apply for law enforcement !!
My pdoc signed a letter stating that my medication does not impair me from being an adequate parent for custody court, thats all i could get him to agree to.
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I have to pass a yearly physical as a professional driver (both dangerous goods – bulk fuel – and part-time school bus driver). My doctor is aware of all of my medical conditions and that they are well managed. He regards me as stable enough to operate vehicles professionally and signs off on my medical.
Also, FWIW, I have a clean driver’s abstract going back 7 years, a clean insurance history, and a perfect safety record at work.
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Why is your work asking for such a letter?
Why would a job ask if you are mentally or not in the first place? I’ve filled out a thousand applications and I don’t recall them asking if I have a mental illness. But just to answer your question, I think it would depend on the psychiatrist as to whether he wants to risk causing potential professional problems for himself by writing a note that is not true.
Just asked my fiance, the insurance and medical Guru!! She says:
Only if you are on a leave of absence from work (not a new hire), they can can request or require a letter from your physician stating that “you are released to return to work with no restrictions”. If they refuse to allow you to return and you have FMLA protection, then you can sue them for discrimination because you are protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
If your not sure if you are protected by FMLA, here’s what you need to qualify;
-total of 50 or more employees in the company, within a 75mi radius of the office in which you work (applicable when you work for large employeer with multiple locations)
-must have worked 1250hrs in the 12 months prior to your first day out on leave of absence
-have been employed with the company for at least 12 months
If you are not eligible for FMLA protection you are still protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Depending on job type, your employer typically has no right to question your mental state unless you have done something at work to endager yourself or the lives of others. If your job does not require a mental health evaluation upon hiring, and you have done nothing at work to endager yourself or others, then they may NOT even ask you ANYTHING regarding your health, psychological or otherwise. That is a violation under the dept of labor and you could take action filing a claim against your employer.
We are ALL protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act and our employers MAY NOT discriminate against us!
My fiance is an HR Director for a national company and knows federal and state laws throughout the US.
if anyone needs help with this sort of thing or has questions regarding discrimination send me a message or reference me in a post and my fiance would be happy to help and share the information she is very well versed in. She is happy to help and does not tolerate discrimination!
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Thanks I will Pm you.