Why you should inform your university or employer about your mental health condition

I'm Ben, a Master’s student from the University of Warwick. Alongside my studies, I am a passionate mental health activist, specifically for young people.

I have been fortunate enough to partake in some of MyPlus Students’ Club's events, talking about mental health in the workplace as part of breakfast seminars and Recruiters’ Club sessions.

I hope to share some of my insights here and hopefully move us one step closer to dismantling the stigma surrounding mental ill health.

Discussing one’s mental health with anyone can present huge challenges. Currently, there is a huge amount of perceived stigma surrounding mental health with anyone, let alone a workplace.

However, I have learnt that this stigma can be very misleading. After many years of not disclosing my mental health struggles to schools, universities, and companies I have interned for, I have become a big believer that it's better to disclose.

Being open about your mental health condition with an employer or university, while not mandatory, can be instrumental in improving how comfortable you feel and your productivity.

I've found that disclosing my mental health difficulties to my university or employer takes a huge weight off my shoulders.

Rather than having to hide my feelings and suppress my emotions, especially on what I call ‘bad mental health days’, I can be myself. It's comforting to know that my university will be understanding about my mood.

Disclosing your mental health condition increases the resources and support that your university or employer can provide.

In my experience, it's easy to feel alone in your struggles. All too often, I've found myself feeling helpless and unable to tell anyone what's going on and how I'm really feeling.

I would argue that disclosing your mental health condition in university and workplaces enables to become more productive in your studies.

Most, if not all universities will have some sort of ‘mitigating circumstances’ system, which allows students to get more flexibility in submitting assignments. Mitigating circumstances can take the form of:

• Extended deadlines for coursework
• The ability to take exams at a later date

While I have not used this system since my first year, many of my friends have, and see huge benefits in their productivity and ability to gain high marks from doing so.

I see the above as strong reasons to disclose your mental health condition to your university.

I also think it's worth emphasising that for some people, it can be extremely challenging to disclose information about how their mental health really is. This is something I've spent years struggling with.

When it comes to discussing or disclosing your mental health to anyone, be it friends, family, a counsellor, or your university, you should only discuss as much as you feel comfortable discussing.

You should never feel pressured or forced to disclose any more than you feel comfortable or appropriate to disclose.

Your journey with mental health is your own, and it is important to take things at your own pace.

A note on language: we know the word 'disclosure' isn't for everyone, so we encourage you to use the language you feel comfortable with. Alternatives include 'being open' and 'informing' people about your disability.

This article has been republished with the permission of MyPlus Students' Club.