Woman wins Rs 3L compensation after boss sacked her for calling in sick on Monday
These were the headlines in my browser feed on a hectic university exam day. Something about the wording compelled me to click on the link.
I went through the article, curious about the lady’s apparent Monday syndrome, if I may be crude enough to call it so. The employer was annoyed that she had taken too many sick days, almost always following weekends. He did not even follow due process in firing her.
When the case went to a tribunal, the woman testified that she had Endometriosis, a chronic debilitating illness I am all too familiar with. The tribunal ruled in her favour on account of her medical condition. The employer, however, acknowledged not having followed the due process. But he stands by his decision to fire her because of her ‘pattern of calling in sick on Mondays’
Endometriosis is a disorder in which tissue that normally lines the uterus grows outside the uterus, leading to debilitating pain and a host of other symptoms. Some women have pain only during their period. Others have it on all days of the month, with flares or specific triggers. It severely interferes with a woman’s ability to maintain a standard quality of life while in pain.
That employer completely missed a point – the fact that regular periods occur on the same day of the week every 4 weeks. If she had a period on Monday the 2nd, her next period would be on Monday, the 30th.
I was instantly reminded of when I was 16, watching a TED talk of a woman with endometriosis on Youtube, narrating her experience and horror stories with the healthcare system, which is notorious for misdiagnosing endometriosis. Currently, the only confirmative diagnostic technique for endometriosis is invasive laparoscopic surgery of the abdomen to look for the pathology. I was reminded of a friend who could not explain to her male school principal, that she was taking leaves every few Saturdays not to have weekend fun, but because she couldn’t sit or stand because of the pain. The embarrassment and lack of support she felt from some of the adults in her life overwhelmed her mentally, strengthening her depressive feelings and her anxiety. This was counterproductive because stress is a trigger for her pain. She eventually found a gynaecologist who was kind and who, above all, believed her. But there is still no reliable cure for endometriosis.
How many times have we heard this age-old adage?
An estimated one-third of people with serious chronic illness experience symptoms of depression.
People suffering from chronic physical health problems experience depression and anxiety at twice the rate of the general population. These chronic conditions are rather common too. To name a few – diabetes, hypertension, stroke, respiratory conditions, autoimmune disorders, and cancer.
This significantly decreases their quality of life. The initial diagnosis, as well as the inability to do previously doable tasks due to the disability from the illness, trigger depressive symptoms. They may be lesser motivated to adopt a healthier lifestyle due to mental agony. They may resort to alcohol and substance abuse. Sometimes, the emotional burden and stress may be traumatic enough to trigger serious mental conditions, including suicidal ideations.
-Dr Ishani Hanspal, Medical Research Consultant at www.wellowise.com
“Chronic diseases are characterised by being prolonged in duration, do not resolve spontaneously, and are rarely cured completely. A person with a chronic disease experiences a myriad of intense and long-lasting feelings – everything from exhaustion and fear to guilt and resentment because of demands made on family and friends. It is often difficult to cope with the changes in life and ongoing treatment that accompany chronic diseases. Feelings of frustration and sadness are also quite common when you realise that the life you once knew may now be different.”
Mental disorders are also a nidus for chronic physical diseases. The illness as well as the treatment and medications lead to severe physical symptoms. It is also seen that the quality of care provided to people with mental health conditions for their physical illnesses is inferior to that received by people without mental disorders.
More commonly, for instance, people with depressive symptoms often refrain from healthy changes, like exercise. This adversely impacts their physical health, making them more prone to develop obesity, hypertension, and other cardiovascular diseases.
People with chronic illnesses may already experience a fall in productivity and economic status due to their physical limitations. When mental ill-health is added to the mix, there may be a significant economic loss due to medical expenditure and a decrease in income. This will lead to more social isolation, and poor nutrition, eventually making it difficult for them to meet their basic day-to-day needs.
Although physicians are trained to notice signs of mental illnesses in patients with chronic diseases, mental illnesses and chronic physical conditions share many symptoms, such as fatigue, which can prevent recognition of co-existing conditions. In some cancer clinics, psychiatrists are part of the management team. Palliative care also includes psychiatric support.
However, these patients need support outside of the clinical setting too. Not only do they have to lead a healthier lifestyle and adopt healthier coping mechanisms; but we as a human society need to be more aware, inclusive, empathetic and accommodating of people suffering from varied causes. The least of which, for instance, is knowing that a regular menstrual cycle can last 28 days, which means endometriosis patients may take ‘regular’ sick days on the same day of the week.
Let’s be compassionate and spread love to our fellow human beings.
–By Rakshita
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