Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-g8jcs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T22:57:50.009Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Managers' reactions towards employees' disclosure of psychiatric or somatic diagnoses

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 December 2013

R. Mendel ,
W. Kissling ,
T. Reichhart ,
M. Bühner  and
J. Hamann
R. Mendel
Affiliation:
Klinik und Poliklinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, TU München, München, Germany
W. Kissling
Affiliation:
Klinik und Poliklinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, TU München, München, Germany
T. Reichhart
Affiliation:
Klinik und Poliklinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, TU München, München, Germany
M. Bühner
Affiliation:
Department Psychologie, LMU München, München, Germany
J. Hamann*
Affiliation:
Klinik und Poliklinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, TU München, München, Germany
*
*Address for correspondence: Dr J. Hamann, Klinik und Poliklinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Technische Universität München, München, Germany (Email: [email protected])
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Aims.

To study whether employees who disclose a psychiatric diagnosis, such as depression risk stigmatisation and discrimination at the workplace.

Methods.

Randomised experimental study with 748 managers from German companies incorporating four case vignettes displaying an employee with different ‘diagnoses’ (depression, burnout, private crisis and thyroid dysfunction), but identical unspecific complaints. Main outcome measures were the managers' attitudes and their impact on stigmatisation with respect to job performance.

Results.

In nearly all aspects of job performance, the diagnosis depression (psychiatric disorder) was seen as more critical than the diagnosis of a thyroid dysfunction (somatic disease). The diagnosis ‘burnout’ did not prove to be less stigmatising than ‘depression’. Likewise ‘private crisis’ was rated less favourably than thyroid dysfunction.

Conclusions.

Therefore, employees have to evaluate if they disclose their psychiatric disorder or if they conceal it as a somatic illness.

Keywords

depressionmental health at the workplacestigmaburnout
Type
Original Articles
Information
Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences , Volume 24 , Issue 2 , April 2015 , pp. 146 - 149
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Ahola, K, Vuori, J, Toppinen-Tanner, S, Mutanen, P, Honkonen, T (2012). Resource-enhancing group intervention against depression at workplace: who benefits? A randomised controlled study with a 7-month follow-up. Occupational and Environmental Medicine 69, 870–876.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bahlmann, J, Angermeyer, MC, Schomerus, G (2013). Calling it “Burnout” instead of “Depression” – a strategy to avoid stigma? Psychiatrische Praxis 40, 78–82.Google ScholarPubMed
Brohan, E, Henderson, C, Wheat, K, Malcolm, E, Clement, S, Barley, EA, Slade, M, Thornicroft, G (2012). Systematic review of beliefs, behaviours and influencing factors associated with disclosure of a mental health problem in the workplace. BMC Psychiatry 12, 11.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Czabala, C, Charzynska, K, Mroziak, B (2011). Psychosocial interventions in workplace mental health promotion: an overview. Health Promotion International 26 (Suppl. 1), i70–i84.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hamann, J, Parchmann, A, Mendel, R, Buhner, M, Reichhart, T, Kissling, W (2013). Understanding the term burnout in psychiatry and psychotherapy. Nervenarzt 84, 838–843.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Henderson, C, Brohan, E, Clement, S, Williams, P, Lassman, F, Schauman, O, Murray, J, Murphy, C, Slade, M, Thornicroft, G (2012). A decision aid to assist decisions on disclosure of mental health status to an employer: protocol for the CORAL exploratory randomised controlled trial. BMC Psychiatry 12, 133.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Henderson, C, Evans-Lacko, S, Thornicroft, G (2013). Mental illness stigma, help seeking, and public health programs. American Journal of Public Health 103, 777–750.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Little, K, Henderson, C, Brohan, E, Thornicroft, G (2011). Employers' attitudes to people with mental health problems in the workplace in Britain: changes between 2006 and 2009. Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences 20, 73–81.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Thornicroft, G, Brohan, E, Kassam, A, Lewis-Holmes, E (2008). Reducing stigma and discrimination: candidate interventions. International Journal of Mental Health Systems 2, 3.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wheat, K, Brohan, E, Henderson, C, Thornicroft, G (2010). Mental illness and the workplace: conceal or reveal? Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine 103, 83–86.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed