Sadly people who accept or have the bipolar label forced upon us are accepting the fact that we are legally deemed to be incapbable of reasoning and thus no employer who needs an employee capable of reasoning can hire one of us. While you accept your bipolar label, I assume you deny that you are incapable of reasoning.

I wrote the company an email:

You know, I was interested in a job as an engineer with your fine company but I'm bipolar. Now, since your crack staff has done, um, 5 minutes of research about bipolar online, I'm sure I would be seen as a risk not worth taking.

Of course, you couldn't tell me that you weren't hiring me because I have a mental disorder but, if you give me a little time, I'll find you guys a website that gives employers airtight excuses to get around hiring those with mental health issues.

Merry Christmas. You sound like such a caring bunch.

Phil

I have the bipolar label and have found myself the object of discrimination at my last position of two years, where I showed up for work one-and-a half hours early every day in order to complete all the requirements of my teaching position to my usual high-achieving ability. I did need to take two months off at one point, and thinking that my supervisor (whose was a former nurse and married to a psychologist...as well as being a regular church attender) would understand, I disclosed my condition to her. Well...when I next spoke with her after a short leave, she refused to provide a reference letter (After TWO faithful years!) and although she couldn't fire me (because I was a union employee) she indicated that I wouldn't be welcome back the next teaching year.
Those of us who suffer above the additional stressors of the job should be accomodated in the workplace and held in similar esteem to those who suffer more obvious physical handicaps. We really are over-achievers and routinely do above and beyond the call of duty!

Keep in mind this is an appeal, and that the company likely won't win it. They were found guilty of contravening the Charter of Canadian Rights and Freedoms, and while they can whine all they want and spread stigma in the process they very clearly violated the employee's human rights and the ruling ought to stand firm.

I love the commentary from The Doggeral Party about this case:
http://www.doggerelparty.ca/2007/12/theres-ignorant-then-theres-google.html

The Paul Lane CBC story disturbed me deeply. What exactly was the behavior Mr. Lane was exhibiting that was so detrimental to producing deadly weapons? Was he in treatment or not? Isn't it better for people to be forthright about an illness that may affect their performance in the workplace? For example, Friday is a bad day for me because I have chemo in the morning, or I'm very irritable because I have bipolar, and it has nothing to do with you whatsoever. It seems like our system quashes these human and healthy responses.

OMG!!! Throw us back into the closet and ditch the key.
When will society come to terms that we are surrounded by wonderful, contributing people everyday, and some of them happen to have mental illness?

Never disclose.

Never disclose.

Never disclose.

I'm with Bubba. I'll never disclose my diagnosis to my employer.

Actually, with the insurance industry in charge of health "care" in this country, I have pretty much decided to keep mum about most things to my doctor. I feel as if anything I tell him can and will be used against me. The walls have ears and my insurance company is always listening. There is a bureau, similiar to a credit bureau, where companies go to get medical records. This all feels quite unsafe to me. I don't trust anyone any more, have seen way too much in my 30 years with my "helpers".

I don't need to have a symptom I mentioned two years ago being used against me as a "pre-existing condition" so unless I think I need antibiotics or I have something life threatening I never tell my doctor anything any more. It's an odd situation to be in, for sure, but I can't afford to take any chances of being uncovered.

I am about to consult a lawyer to see if I can have my medical records expunged of my psych history. There has to be some sort of staute of limitations on this stuff. I'm still quite disabled, but I haven't been on psych medication or in a psych hospital for over 8 years, wouldn't touch a pdoc with a barge pole. I don't see why I need to be carting around this shopping bag of diagnoses.

Wish me luck.

I'm sure he has grounds for a lawsuit. But, having Bipolar, I do find that some jobs/professions are more open than others to accepting the illness. Also, different parts of the country. I was quite open about my illness when I lived in Upstate New York. Now that I'm on Long Island, I've been advised to keep it "hush, hush." Confusing.

By the way, I appreciate your blog.

The boss evidently hired a research assistant -- Tom Cruise ...