The Legal Rights and Repsonsibilities of the Mentally Impaired Employee and His/Her Employer

Abstract

This paper will cover the legal rights of the "mentally ill" employee in a work setting and the corresponding rights of his/her employer. Initially, federal law will be discussed, then state law. I will take a look at how other countries have dealt with this problem in the workplace. Throughout my discussion, I will refer to recent federal acts, associations and organizations that brought about change in this much ignored area of the law. Employers today face a growing number of lawsuits alleging discrimination on the basis of mental disability. It should be noted that this paper does not include those mentally disordered persons who are a danger to themselves and/or others.