A friend of mine (yes, it actually is a friend) had a question about going to a mental health professional. If he wants to join the FBI or some other high stress government job, would going to a shrink go on his permanent record and make him unhire-able ? Does the government care if he was depressed or something for an amount of time and sought help? Would they even know? What should I tell him? He wants to join the FBI yet doesn’t know if he has to choose between getting mental help or his dream job. Anyone know anything about this?
I can’t imagine past psychological problems would help him land a job with the Feds, but it’s not necessarily disqualifying. As to the FBI in particular, I found this here: http://www.fbijobs.gov/031.asp
*Supporting Documents for Consideration under a Special Placement Program
Noncompetitive Hiring of Individuals with Disabilities: The FBI has established a noncompetitive appointing authority similar to that used in the competitive service under the Schedule A (5 CFR 213.3102(u)) for individuals with mental retardation, severe physical disabilities, and/or psychiatric disabilities. Supporting documentation for consideration under this authority includes certification of job readiness (for consideration to a permanent appointment) and proof of qualifying disability issued from a licensed medical professional, a licensed vocational rehabilitation specialist, or any Federal or State agency or an agency of D.C. or a U.S. territory that issues or provides disability benefits, i.e., a “certification” statement that identifies you as a person with a disability and that describes your ability to perform the essential duties of the position in which you are interested. For additional information please visit OPM’s Federal Employment of People with Disabilities at Disability Employment*.
Your friend will also need to undergo a pretty thorough background check.
The answer is surely “it depends”. If it’s a few visits and no medication required that might be okay, assuming your friend volunteers the information and they don’t find out about it on their own, but if it’s months or years of treatment and drugs were prescribed that would likely be a red flag, assuming they have other qualified candidates without these issues.
I wouldn’t think you could hide something like that given how extensive the background checks are. They will likely require a polygraph test to make sure there isn’t something that you are hiding from them.
Having said all that, and I am not your friend’s doctor etc., not being treated for depression in order to get a federal job is probably not a wise thing to do in the long run… YMMV
Tell him not to lie. I’m sure the FBI will ask about past mental health issues. It’s certain that being dishonest in the application process with any federal law enforcement agency will not conclude with a hiring of the candidate, and could end in prosecution since the government doesn’t like being lied to and those applications are signed under penalty of perjury