Anonymous wrote:Wow.

So I guess that since mentally ill people should not be left alone at all to care for young children, then ANY person w/a mental illness should never be in full charge of a young child.

Including parents.

There goes that logic.
Out the window.

1) Not all mental illnesses are the same.
2) A parent presumably has at least one other person (the other parent) observing them on a daily basis for more than a few minutes, and would recognize decompensation if it happened.
3) Many, many mentally ill parents, including a lot of women with PPD, absolutely should not be caring for children on their own, both for their own health and the safety of the children. This is where universally accessible, affordable, quality daycare could actually be a public health service.
4) Those of us raised by parents with a mental illness, including depression, bipolar, anxiety, etc., would tell you that even medicated, these are not benign syndromes.

Anonymous wrote:Wow.

So I guess that since mentally ill people should not be left alone at all to care for young children, then ANY person w/a mental illness should never be in full charge of a young child.

Including parents.

There goes that logic.
Out the window.

If you cannot see the difference between nannies and parents then I can not help you.

You need to find.
A different profession.

Anonymous wrote:"Are you on any anti-anxiety or antidepressant medication and/or are you bipolar of suffer from any mental illness?" is now a question I will ask when I begin interviewing nannies.

Illegal.

Wow.

So I guess that since mentally ill people should not be left alone at all to care for young children, then ANY person w/a mental illness should never be in full charge of a young child.

Including parents.

There goes that logic.
Out the window.

"Are you on any anti-anxiety or antidepressant medication and/or are you bipolar of suffer from any mental illness?" is now a question I will ask when I begin interviewing nannies.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yikes pp.
You don't sound ready to be someone's employer.

I don't know if I am the PP to whom you are referring but I already am "someone's employer" - over 45 people in fact - including a nanny. And while I would hire someone with a mental illness for a job in my company, I would not hire someone with a mental illness to be my child's nanny. End of discussion.

+1.

I realize that this is a catch-22: if you don't disclose a condition, you can't request reasonable accommodations, and you may lose your job for performance issues that could be explained if NF knew your condition. But disclose it, and probably most NFs won't hire you.

I'm not going to hire anyone with a chronic medical condition if I know about it, unless it has been under control for years, and the person can assure me that it has literally no effect on their ability to show up on time, stay all day, and do the job. I feel like anyone in that situation wouldn't think to disclose it, because it doesn't matter. Anyone who does feel the need to disclose it, probably knows she'll need special consideration (or might need).

As a PP said, you are the sole employee, tasked with caring for people too young to take care of themselves if you have an attack of whatever it is. Go work somewhere where a sudden emergency or decompensation won't mean that there's no one to cover.

What kind of sudden decompensation do you think you see with depression? Schizophrenia? Mania? Alcohol abuse? These things don't happen overnight. It's not like a seizure disorder.

First of all, at least one of the nannies posting here is bipolar. So, yes, I worry about mania, delusions, even hallucinations. Anyone who has lived with someone with bipolar disorder knows the meds don't always work all the time.

Another nanny takes a "low dose" of a bezodiazepine every day. I am not allowed to drug test her or ask her for medical records that prove her dose is low enough not to affect reflexes or cognition. So, yes, I worry about someone on a mood- and cognition-altering substance carrying, driving, and watching my child in the water, near streets, or in other potentially dangerous situations. I mean, I can ask for those things, but I'm sure you'd agree with that about as much as you agree with me not hiring her in the first place.

But even with your garden-variety depression, one of the problems is that a nanny works with children. She sees other adults sporadically during the week. Some don't see any other adults regularly at all during the workday. MB and DB see her for a little while in the AM, and probably even less in the PM, time spent rushing around getting ready for work or handing over care. I'm not going to notice my nanny getting quieter or less active, or that she seems sad or disconnected. I will see none of those gradual signs of a worsening depression. Meanwhile, she may be barely interacting with my child, sleeping on the sofa, not taking my child out, or otherwise doing very little actual nannying. This is the best case scenario of an unrecognized worsening depression. Worst case, she starts self-harming behavior.

Someone with true clinical depression does not need to be working in isolation with sole care for a child. This is true for a parent or a caregiver. It's a recipe for disaster for the one suffering from depression and for potential tragedy for the child.

Now, if you're like a lot of Americans who take anti-depressants just because you find life a little hard, then just keep it to yourself when you apply for my job, I'll never find out, and it won't matter.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yikes pp.
You don't sound ready to be someone's employer.

I don't know if I am the PP to whom you are referring but I already am "someone's employer" - over 45 people in fact - including a nanny. And while I would hire someone with a mental illness for a job in my company, I would not hire someone with a mental illness to be my child's nanny. End of discussion.

+1.

I realize that this is a catch-22: if you don't disclose a condition, you can't request reasonable accommodations, and you may lose your job for performance issues that could be explained if NF knew your condition. But disclose it, and probably most NFs won't hire you.

I'm not going to hire anyone with a chronic medical condition if I know about it, unless it has been under control for years, and the person can assure me that it has literally no effect on their ability to show up on time, stay all day, and do the job. I feel like anyone in that situation wouldn't think to disclose it, because it doesn't matter. Anyone who does feel the need to disclose it, probably knows she'll need special consideration (or might need).

As a PP said, you are the sole employee, tasked with caring for people too young to take care of themselves if you have an attack of whatever it is. Go work somewhere where a sudden emergency or decompensation won't mean that there's no one to cover.

What kind of sudden decompensation do you think you see with depression? Schizophrenia? Mania? Alcohol abuse? These things don't happen overnight. It's not like a seizure disorder.

I do understand mental illnesses and am very familiar with the side-effects of the treatment drugs, and I would not hire nor keep in my employ a nanny who was on those drugs or diagnosed with any mental illness. OP, I strongly suggest you find another profession.
,

Nanny with bipolar; sorry to hijack your thread op

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yikes pp.
You don't sound ready to be someone's employer.

I don't know if I am the PP to whom you are referring but I already am "someone's employer" - over 45 people in fact - including a nanny. And while I would hire someone with a mental illness for a job in my company, I would not hire someone with a mental illness to be my child's nanny. End of discussion.

+1.

I realize that this is a catch-22: if you don't disclose a condition, you can't request reasonable accommodations, and you may lose your job for performance issues that could be explained if NF knew your condition. But disclose it, and probably most NFs won't hire you.

I'm not going to hire anyone with a chronic medical condition if I know about it, unless it has been under control for years, and the person can assure me that it has literally no effect on their ability to show up on time, stay all day, and do the job. I feel like anyone in that situation wouldn't think to disclose it, because it doesn't matter. Anyone who does feel the need to disclose it, probably knows she'll need special consideration (or might need).

As a PP said, you are the sole employee, tasked with caring for people too young to take care of themselves if you have an attack of whatever it is. Go work somewhere where a sudden emergency or decompensation won't mean that there's no one to cover.

Anonymous wrote:Yikes pp.
You don't sound ready to be someone's employer.

I don't know if I am the PP to whom you are referring but I already am "someone's employer" - over 45 people in fact - including a nanny. And while I would hire someone with a mental illness for a job in my company, I would not hire someone with a mental illness to be my child's nanny. End of discussion.

Yikes pp.
You don't sound ready to be someone's employer.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are thousands of other occupations for people with mental illness that do not involve long days alone with a child!

Why choose being a nanny?! If you worked in a daycare or preschool, there would be other people around to keep an eye on you. As a nanny you are alone.

No, I would not hire a nanny who was on either antidepressants or antianxiety medications - nor would I hire the bipolar nanny who posted above. And I would have to fire any nanny who didn't disclose these vital medical facts about herself immediately.

You realize you come in contact with mentally ill people everyday?
I chose being a nanny, because I love children. I'm good st what I do, and I can't have my own. You realize there are many mother's with bipolar right?
Are you alright? Did your mother not hug you enough? I am putting myself because I know my former employer is on dcum. My longest job was with an employer who knew. I told them when I got diagnosed. They were educated doctors who didn't make false assumptions. Years after they moved away we are all very close.

Try to insult me all you want - I still would not hire you and I would fire you on the spot if I found out. Your childish response did nothing but make me more sure of my convictions.

You should work in a daycare or preschool where other adults are around to keep an eye on you. Not alone all day with an innocent child or infant.

I wasn't insulting you. I asked serious questions. You don't like my assumptions? Funny. You obviously know nothing about mental illness.

+1 how did PP insult you?

NP here and PP was childish. To tell the truth, she changed my mind on ever hiring anyone with a mental illness. At first I thought it would be okay with me, but reading the responses on this thread has caused me to rethink my position. I wouldn't - I don't want the drama.

So to OP, yes - disclose that you are on medication.

Drama? Because someone asked if they were loved enough as a child when they were hostile?
Oh, ok.

So happy you finally seem to understand! Thank you so much for posting your "ok".

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are thousands of other occupations for people with mental illness that do not involve long days alone with a child!

Why choose being a nanny?! If you worked in a daycare or preschool, there would be other people around to keep an eye on you. As a nanny you are alone.

No, I would not hire a nanny who was on either antidepressants or antianxiety medications - nor would I hire the bipolar nanny who posted above. And I would have to fire any nanny who didn't disclose these vital medical facts about herself immediately.

You realize you come in contact with mentally ill people everyday?
I chose being a nanny, because I love children. I'm good st what I do, and I can't have my own. You realize there are many mother's with bipolar right?
Are you alright? Did your mother not hug you enough? I am putting myself because I know my former employer is on dcum. My longest job was with an employer who knew. I told them when I got diagnosed. They were educated doctors who didn't make false assumptions. Years after they moved away we are all very close.

Try to insult me all you want - I still would not hire you and I would fire you on the spot if I found out. Your childish response did nothing but make me more sure of my convictions.

You should work in a daycare or preschool where other adults are around to keep an eye on you. Not alone all day with an innocent child or infant.

I wasn't insulting you. I asked serious questions. You don't like my assumptions? Funny. You obviously know nothing about mental illness.

+1 how did PP insult you?

NP here and PP was childish. To tell the truth, she changed my mind on ever hiring anyone with a mental illness. At first I thought it would be okay with me, but reading the responses on this thread has caused me to rethink my position. I wouldn't - I don't want the drama.

So to OP, yes - disclose that you are on medication.

Drama? Because someone asked if they were loved enough as a child when they were hostile?
Oh, ok.

Anonymous wrote:A Nanny that was mature, educated & wise enough to seek treatment for a mental health issue is definitely someone responsible enough to care for a child in my opinion.

Those that do not receive the assistance they require due to ignorance, stigma and denial are too irresponsible to be caring for young children alone.

Seeing all the stereotypes and judgments by society on mental illness, I consider anyone who voluntarily seeks care as courageous.

The brain is an organ of the body like every other organ.

It too can get sick.....

I agree and I wouldn't hire anyone with a chronic physical illness to be a nanny either. As pointed out, there are other professions more suited for people who are chronically ill.