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<p>The decision to disclose or not disclose a diagnosis of mental illness (MI) is complex and influenced by a variety of factors. Research into MI disclosure has commonly focused on investigating the singular parts of the disclosure process, thus failing to capture an understanding of the individual’s holistic experience of MI disclosure. This paper seeks to gain an understanding of the phenomenon of workplace MI disclosure from the perspective of the disclosing employee. By doing so we gain an understanding of how they make sense of this experience which should help shape MI workplace policies and practices. Using a qualitative research approach and interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), interviews took place with three Irish women who had previously disclosed a mental illness in the workplace. Within the findings, three superordinate themes emerged: (1) Antecedents of Disclosure, (2) Disclosure Outcomes and the Organisation (3) Disclosure Outcomes and the Self. Without an understanding of the consequent impact of disclosure on employees’ post-disclosure work-life, appropriate resources and supports cannot be developed.</p>
</abstract>

The decision to disclose or not disclose a diagnosis of mental illness (MI) is complex and influenced by a variety of factors. Research into MI disclosure has commonly focused on investigating the singular parts of the disclosure process, thus failing to capture an understanding of the individual’s holistic experience of MI disclosure. This paper seeks to gain an understanding of the phenomenon of workplace MI disclosure from the perspective of the disclosing employee. By doing so we gain an understanding of how they make sense of this experience which should help shape MI workplace policies and practices. Using a qualitative research approach and interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), interviews took place with three Irish women who had previously disclosed a mental illness in the workplace. Within the findings, three superordinate themes emerged: (1) Antecedents of Disclosure, (2) Disclosure Outcomes and the Organisation (3) Disclosure Outcomes and the Self. Without an understanding of the consequent impact of disclosure on employees’ post-disclosure work-life, appropriate resources and supports cannot be developed.

Mental health disclosure in the workplace – An interpretative phenomenological analysis of the employee experience

The Irish Journal of Management

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The decision to disclose or not disclose a diagnosis of mental illness (MI) is complex and influenced by a variety of factors. Research into MI disclosure has...

	Superordinate themes	Sub themes
1	Antecedents of Disclosure	Working with an MI – Silence and Impression managementMoving Towards Disclosure
2	Disclosure and the Organisation	Work & Relationship OutcomesThe Organisation: Myth, Reality, & Supports
3	Disclosure and the Self	Self-Management: Changing behaviour & Perceptions of StigmaOpinions on own disclosure

Pseudonym	Age	Gender	Occupation	Diagnosis
“Kate”	34	Female	Director of Risk in Financial Organisation	Major Depressive Disorder Traits of Generalised Anxiety Disorder
“Orla”	29	Female	Research Assistant & PhD student in Educational Organisation	ADHD (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) Traits of OCPD (Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder) EDNOS (Eating-Disorder not Otherwise Specified)
“Laura”	60	Female	IT professional and educator in Educational Organisation	Bipolar II Disorder

Mental health disclosure in the workplace – An interpretative phenomenological analysis of the employee experience

Article Category: Research Article

Published Online: Apr 03, 2024

Page range: 140 - 159

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/ijm-2023-0013

Keywords
Disclosure, mental illness, stigma

© 2023 Niamh Kavanagh et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Figure 1

Superordinate and Subordinate Themes

Demographics of Study Participants

Mental health disclosure in the workplace – An interpretative phenomenological analysis of the employee experience

Article Category: Research Article

Published Online: Apr 03, 2024

Page range: 140 - 159

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/ijm-2023-0013

KeywordsDisclosure, mental illness, stigma

© 2023 Niamh Kavanagh et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Figure 1

Superordinate and Subordinate Themes

Demographics of Study Participants

Keywords
Disclosure, mental illness, stigma