Should I tell my boss that I have depression?
In Germany, about 30 percent of adults are affected by mental illness every year. But how open should you be about your mental health at work? Experts such as psychologist Katrin Terwiel and psychologist Georg Schomerus give valuable advice and share their experiences. Read all about BI+
In Germany, around 17.8 million people are affected by mental illness every year.
Experts like Katrin Terwiel recommend being open about treatment choices but keeping the diagnosis a secret.
An open discussion about work skills and performance can help gain support from co-workers and supervisors.
In Germany, around 17.8 million people are affected by mental illness every year. Perhaps you are one of these people yourself and have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder or depression. Perhaps you attend regular therapy sessions or take medication.
But how openly do you talk about your mental illness? Most importantly: how open it is should talk to him about it at work?
How stigmatized is mental illness today?
There has never been a better time to talk about mental illness. This is especially true for illnesses such as depression and anxiety disorders. It should be mentioned at this point: There is a different approach to schizophrenia and alcoholism. There is more stigma attached to these mental illnesses now than ever before. This is proven by a long-term German study led by study author and psychologist Georg Schomerus from the Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the University of Leipzig.
However, it can generally be said that the stigma surrounding the topic of mental illness is not as great as it used to be. Awareness of the topic is constantly growing. Psychologist Katrin Terwiel also recognizes this.
Before becoming independent, Terwiel led, among others, the health department at Zalando and the diversity department at Deutsche Telekom. Today she works as a coach, trainer and management consultant with a focus on mental health, diversity and neurodiversity.
How open should you be about mental illness at work?
The expert said in an interview with Business Insider that the topic of mental health has become more prevalent, especially since the epidemic. It was immediately the most important thing. At the same time, he realizes that there are people who find it difficult to incorporate this topic into their daily work.
For example, they would not know what to say if they met a professional in the middle of the day. “Some say they go to physical therapy because they don’t feel comfortable revealing the true nature of their preferences,” Terwiel said.
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