ADA and Bi-Polar Disorder

System

Has anyone working in a professional service firm ever had an employee claim bi-polar disorder? And if so, what type of accommodation did you have to provide? This is for someone doing strictly office work.

Hatchetman

When trying to figure out accommodations, of course, you need to ask the employee. Also, ask the doctor. Send the doctor a job description, identifying the essential and non-essential duties of the job, and the physical, mental, and environmental demands of the job. The doctor may also have some suggestions. Try the Job Accommodation Network in Virginia. There are several mental health support groups. Contact them. Also, EEOC's Technical Guidance Manual, in describing how to handle reasonable accommodations, as I recall, does provide an exampoe of someone who needs reasonable accommodaiton due to bi-polar disorder. Go to the EEOC website.

Remember, accommodations are based upon the specific issues of the employee. With many mental illnesses, cultural factors come into play as well as gender and age. Since there are a couple of causes for bi-polar disorders, you have to individualize the accommodations. That's what ADA, in fact, calls for.