Is depression a disability?
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The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995 and 2005 give disabled people the right not to be discriminated against in:
- Employment
- Education
- Access to goods, facilities and services, including larger private clubs and land-based transport services
- Buying or renting land or property, including making it easier for disabled people to rent property and for tenants to make disability-related adaptations
- Functions of public bodies, for example issuing of licences.
When is depression a disability?
The DDA defines a ‘disabled person’ as: a person with ‘a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his/her ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities’. In order to qualify as being disabled, someone with depression must show that:
S/he has a recognised ‘mental impairment’
- It is a long-term condition
- It is severe enough to have an impact on his/her ability to function day-to-day.
All three conditions must be met for a perso...
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