Mental Health Disorders and Insurance

One of the most important things to do when arranging insurance if you have a mental health disorder, is to speak to someone that you feel comfortable with. Whether this is an insurance provider or adviser, if you find someone who puts you at ease and is empathetic with you it can make the whole application process much less stressful.

The insurer is probably going to ask you a number of questions including:

• What is the name of the condition?
• When were you diagnosed?
• When did you last experience symptoms?
• What medication and treatment have you used?
• Have you seen a psychiatrist or community mental health team?
• Have you ever been hospitalised due to the condition?

The insurer will also want to know if you have had any history of self-harm or suicide attempts. These are all very sensitive questions and refer to things, within the past, that can be difficult to talk about. One of the key things to do is find an insurer that looks upon the condition favourably and offers the best terms possible for the cover that you are wanting.

Life Insurance – widely available, depending upon the severity of your symptoms and how recent they have been you may need to approach a specialist insurer.

Critical Illness Cover – widely available, it is possible that you may need to look at specialist insurers if there has been recent or significant history of self-harm and/or suicide attempts.

Income Protection – generally available, depending upon the condition that you have, the severity and recency of your symptoms there may be a mental health exclusion placed on your policy claims set.

Private Medical Insurance – generally available, the policy will exclude any claims related to your condition until you are at least two years symptom/treatment free.

Mental Health Disorders:

• Addiction
• Agoraphobia
• Alzheimer’s Disease
• Anorexia Nervosa
• Anxiety
• Asperger’s Syndrome
• Autism
• Bipolar
• Borderline Personality Disorder
• Bulimia
• Dementia
• Depression
• Hypochondria
• Insomnia
• Munchausen’s Syndrome
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
• Panic Attacks
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Postpartum Depression
• Psychotic Episodes
• Schizophrenia
• Seasonal Affective Disorder
• Self Harm
• Stress
• Suicide attempts

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