A Canadian woman on long-term leave for depression says her
insurance company cut her benefits after finding photos of her on
Facebook, in which they claim she looked to be having fun.
Photo: CreativeCommons-benstein
In a story that reads like a combination of a Monty Python skit and a Charles Dickens scenario, a Canadian woman on long-term leave for depression says her insurance company cut her benefits after finding photos of her on Facebook page, in which they claim she looked to be having fun.
After being diagnosed with major depression, Nathalie Blanchard has been on sick leave from her job at IBM in Bromont, Quebec, for the last year.
During that time, she was receiving monthly benefit payments from insurance provider Manulife.
However, the payments suddenly stopped recently, and when
Blanchard called Manulife to find out the problem, she says she was told she was not depressed, and was in fact able to work.
To prove that point, the insurance agent described several pictures Blanchard posted on her Facebook page that appear to show Ms. Blanchard doing things that look like...fun!
The agent claims the pictures show her having a good time at a Chippendales bar show, at her birthday party, and on a sun holiday. Since depressed people cannot possibly have fun, and since people who try to have fun, even for a moment, cannot possibly suffer from depression, Manulife claims that Ms. Blanchard is all better and needs to go right back to work.
For Manulife, the pictures are concrete proof that she is no longer depressed. As far as the company is concerned, she doesn't even need to see a doctor; the pictures say it all.
Needless to say, Ms. Blanchard is fighting to get her benefits reinstated, and says her lawyer is assessing their next step.
Blanchard told reporters that she was simply following her
doctor's advice to try and get out and have a little fun. Her efforts included nights out at her local bar with friends, and short getaways to sun destinations, as a way to try to improve her depression.
Manulife wouldn't comment directly on Blanchard's case, but claims that they would not deny or cannel a claim solely based on information published on Web sites such as Facebook. Still, as there is no report of Ms. Blanchard having had a follow-up examination by a doctor, the basis for the cancellation seems questionable, at best.
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Comments
I think this is great. I think that wasteful spending should be stopped. It seems that this woman was abusing the system; although, she may be depressed, I would think that if she could go on trips and to to the bar, she could continue to work. What is not clear here is was this disability insurance that was stopped? I think so...
Many people with depression use addictions to deal with pain. One of the many addictions out there is sexual addiction. Having sexual addiction does not prove that she is not depressed, if anything it confirms it. If you saw someone drunk and looking happy, would you say that they must not be depressed?
When you have chronic depression one of the first things that they tell you is to make yourself go out, try to do things that will get you around people, get sunlight, go for walks, etc. These things are necessary - even if you are on medication, Isolation makes things much, much worse.
Depression can be crippling because you lose your energy and concentration. I know that I was unable to work productively for days at a time because it took maybe 10 minutes to do a simple email. I just could barely think. When someone came in, I would automatically smile, laugh at their jokes, until they left, its a conditioned response. Things are not so simple as "I cannot smile because I'm depressed". In fact, you are desperate not to have everyone curious and wondering about you.
If a person CAN tough it out and keep working, its a good thing because it gets them showered and dressed and around people; however sometimes the depression is too much for days at a time before you get a reprieve.
This story is a perfect example of how poorly people understand depression and the people it affects. If you haven't been there, don't even attempt to criticize those of us who have. It is physically impossible to frown and cry 24 hours a day (although I've come close). If my dog makes me smile, it isn't because my depression is *cured.* She is providing a respite from the pain by making me respond to her antics. Five minutes later I'm just as depressed as I was before. Medication helps and exposing yourself to diversions helps to take your mind off the pain and remind you that there are things in in life worth sticking around for. Cutting off benefits for daring to try to help yourself is short-sighted and counterproductive. If I know that someone is watching to try to *catch* me laughing, I'm never going to do anything to help myself improve. So instead of trying to get better to go back to work, I'm encouraged to sit at home and vegetate, helping no one. What fools!
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