Summary: A study from West Virginia University examines how employees with depression decide whether and how to disclose their condition at work, identifying eight distinct strategies along a disclosure continuum.
Source: West Virginia University
Employees who experience depression often face a difficult choice: whether to disclose their condition at work, and if so, how much to share.
Kayla Follmer, an assistant professor of management at the John Chambers College of Business and Economics, approached this question by treating depression as a concealable stigmatized identity—like religious beliefs, sexual orientation, or a chronic health condition—that is not always visible to others. She set out to understand the methods people use to manage that identity in the workplace.
Through in-depth interviews with 30 employees from diverse roles—ranging from retail and healthcare to active military duty—Follmer identified a continuum of disclosure behaviors and eight concrete identity management strategies people use to enact those choices.
- Concealing: Actively hiding depression by withholding information and suppressing behaviors or cues that might reveal the condition.
- Fabricating: Deliberately offering false explanations to cover signs of depression, such as attributing psychiatric appointments to other medical concerns.
- Masking: Presenting a different outward persona—smiling, behaving as if everything is fine—despite internal distress.
- Signaling: Using indirect hints or subtle cues to suggest struggles without explicitly naming depression. This can be passive (relying on others to notice) or active (mentioning life stressors like divorce or loss).
- Limited Disclosure: Sharing some aspects of the experience—such as admitting to periods of difficulty—while omitting details like medication, therapy, or hospitalization.
- Selective Disclosure: Telling only specific, trusted colleagues or supervisors rather than informing the whole workplace.
- Transparency: Being generally open about having depression, willing to discuss it when it arises without making a point of broadcasting it to everyone.
- Advocacy: Not only disclosing openly but also actively promoting awareness, support, and better understanding of mental health in the organization.
Follmer published these findings in Group & Organization Management. The results support the idea that disclosure is not a simple yes-or-no decision but exists along a continuum from non-disclosure to full disclosure. Her work maps the eight strategies to positions along that continuum, showing how people choose approaches that best fit their circumstances and comfort levels.
Participants who favored non-disclosure often cited fear of stigma and potential negative consequences—being treated unfairly, overlooked, or even losing their job. Those who used semi-disclosure methods tended to be testing the waters, sharing limited information to gauge reactions. At the far end, full disclosure and advocacy reflect openness and a willingness to speak publicly about depression and its impact.
Follmer also found that strategies are not fixed. Employees may change how they manage disclosure over time or across jobs, influenced by past experiences and the current workplace climate. A supportive supervisor or inclusive organizational culture can encourage greater openness, while negative reactions can lead employees to withdraw and conceal again.
The practical takeaway is that there is no single “right” way to manage depression at work. Employees make disclosure decisions based on personal comfort, anticipated reactions, and workplace conditions. Organizations that cultivate inclusive, supportive climates allow individuals to choose the management strategy that best fits their needs while reducing the costs of concealment.
Follmer emphasizes the broader implications for management practice: organizational research and workplace policies should better reflect the realities of employees living with mental health conditions. She argues for a more human-centered approach—checking in with employees, offering support, and addressing well-being—rather than focusing solely on output and productivity.
About this depression research news
Source: West Virginia University
Contact: Jake Stump – West Virginia University
Image: The image is in the public domain
Original Research: Closed access. “Navigating Depression at Work: Identity Management Strategies Along the Disclosure Continuum” by Kayla Follmer et al., published in Group and Organization Management.
Abstract (summary)
Deciding whether to disclose a concealable stigmatized identity is a consequential workplace choice. This study uses in-depth interviews with employees who have depression to explore the identity management strategies they use when making disclosure decisions. Through thematic, inductive analysis, researchers identified a disclosure continuum—non-disclosure, partial disclosure, and full disclosure—and eight distinct strategies that align with different points on that continuum.
Findings extend existing frameworks by linking specific identity management tactics to degrees of disclosure, clarifying how concealing and signaling operate in practice, and highlighting strategies unique to partial and full disclosure. The study also surfaces lived experiences of employees with depression—an underrepresented group in organizational research—and underscores how workplace reactions and climates influence disclosure choices over time.