It’s Freakin’ insane! Everyone can claim a mental illness when they are feeling sorry for themselves or just plain lazy!
More baloney.
For my own part, were I an employer, I’d be inclined to allow sick days for bad bouts of mood disorders only if a physician had prescribed a course of psychotropic medication for the disorder.
(On a related note, I personally wish the diagnostic criteria for ADHD included paradoxical reactions to stimulants. This would distinguish between a physiological problem and just being high-spirited or flighty.)
I once had the misfortune of working for a person who was an idiot, was bipolar, and suffered for adult ADHD. I would gladly have donated all my sick days to him just to stay at home and not create chaos and havoc at work. I spent 8 hours a day doing my job and 4 hours a day and 12 hours on Saturday undoing the damage he did. I lucked out when he left the organization which is running much better without him.
Anyone who considers BiPolar Disorder is fortunate to not have known anyone who suffers from the disease. It’s an eye-opener.
I have no problem whatsoever about taking a sick day when I need a mental/emotional break from my job.
I accrue sick leave from my employer, and I’m entitled to use it. As long as I’m not using more than I’ve accrued, what’s the issue?
Sick leave is there to be used. It’s better for the company for me to be mentally and emotionally well-rested and alert, and thus do my job to the best of my abilities, than to show up and do a half-assed job.
Makes sense to me. I have anxiety and depression, and I don’t see the point of going to work or school when you know you won’t be able to function, much less get any work done, and that you’re going to be a drag on your colleagues.
I heard something like this on Prager’s radio show one time. It was either from one of his guests or an article. Some country in Europe where they had a huge percentage of people that didn’t work because they were depressed. Of course, they were compensated for their illness. That’s where we are headed.
Mental standards for a first-class airman medical certificate are:
(a) No established medical history or clinical diagnosis of any of the following:
...
(3) A bipolar disorder.
...
As someone who has managed bi-polar disorder (cyclothymia/hypomania) since my teenage years (and has never missed a single workday due to anything but the flu--maybe 5 days total in 35 years), I can safely say this is a very stupid question.
I think the author meant well, but bi-polars do not have bad moods any more than the general population. When a full-blown bi-polar has (as many do) a psychotic episode, they usually end up in the hospital or the morgue or jail. And in the midst of the depression swing, it is certainly not a single day of bad mood.
Mental illness is not a joke and references to bad moods trivializes just how life threatening it can be.
BTW, in many cases, bi-polar illness doesn't have to prevent a successful career, education, marriage, or life (in fact, many bi-polars are at the top of their college class and at the top of their profession). But it does require tremendous drive and determination to manage successfully.
At my wife’s place of work there is a woman who suffers epileptic seizures.
When that happens she falls to the floor and everyone is instructed to stop working in that area for the duration, and move away, sometimes up to an hour.
That whole part of the plant shuts down until she gets up.
Most employees think she’s faking it, but who wants to tread in that mire?
The public is saturated with depression messages on TV, radio, in school, etc.
Too many are going to fall into the trough because enablement is readily available.
I don't mean to mitigate the fact that some suffer from severe depression, but going on the meds is just WAY too easy these days.
Nothing irritates me more than the idiots who think the whole world needs to suffer because they’re having a bad day. I didn’t even act that way as a factory foreman.
OTOH the drama queens who think the whole world needs to stop and fawn over them for the tragedy of the moment are pretty bad.
Yeah I was a real prick of a foreman.
I’ve called in sick for a bad mood, called in sick for having too much home stuff that needed doing too. Most of my bosses have explicitly said that they don’t want people coming in when they won’t be able to do the work, for whatever reason. Crappy moods are at least as contagious as colds, one person being a grump can screw up productivity for the whole department. Just don’t abuse the privilege.