Case Study: Too Much Stress? You Decide
Case Study: Too Much Stress? You Decide
Summary of Case:
Donald Knolls worked for International Gateway Airport (IGA) as an air traffic control supervisor and he began to experience depression due to the stress of his job in 2007. He was granted a disability leave by IGA’s physician and after eight months, his personal physician, an expert in depression treatment and a licensed consulting psychologist, believed he could go back to work. IGA sent him to their physician who granted him the disability leave and he concluded that Donald should not return to his job because the conditions had not changed and recommended that he return to a nonsupervisory position on a six-month trial basis. IGA agreed with their physician and did not return him to his previous job. Donald filed a grievance and claims that the disability leave provisions were biased because they disregarded the opinions of his personal physician. Donald’s lawyer believes he was the victim of discrimination because of his former state of depression.
Case Questions:
1. General physicians usually specialize in general care while medical experts specialize in a certain field and can diagnose rare diseases. A medical expert has more knowledge and experience with certain things, and with Donald’s case, it was depression. The expert has studied depression and depression-related problems for years and would know more about this subject than a general physician. IGA relied on the medical opinion of “a fair and impartial” doctor while they should have relied on an expert doctor who is knowledgeable and experienced about depression.
2. Yes, the charge of discrimination is relevant to this case because IGA relied on their physician, who is not an expert, to determine that Donald should not return to work. The physician believed that Donald would still have depression from the stress because the conditions of the job had not changed. I believe IGA was hesitant in bringing Donald back because they did not want
Summary of Case:
Donald Knolls worked for International Gateway Airport (IGA) as an air traffic control supervisor and he began to experience depression due to the stress of his job in 2007. He was granted a disability leave by IGA’s physician and after eight months, his personal physician, an expert in depression treatment and a licensed consulting psychologist, believed he could go back to work. IGA sent him to their physician who granted him the disability leave and he concluded that Donald should not return to his job because the conditions had not changed and recommended that he return to a nonsupervisory position on a six-month trial basis. IGA agreed with their physician and did not return him to his previous job. Donald filed a grievance and claims that the disability leave provisions were biased because they disregarded the opinions of his personal physician. Donald’s lawyer believes he was the victim of discrimination because of his former state of depression.
Case Questions:
1. General physicians usually specialize in general care while medical experts specialize in a certain field and can diagnose rare diseases. A medical expert has more knowledge and experience with certain things, and with Donald’s case, it was depression. The expert has studied depression and depression-related problems for years and would know more about this subject than a general physician. IGA relied on the medical opinion of “a fair and impartial” doctor while they should have relied on an expert doctor who is knowledgeable and experienced about depression.
2. Yes, the charge of discrimination is relevant to this case because IGA relied on their physician, who is not an expert, to determine that Donald should not return to work. The physician believed that Donald would still have depression from the stress because the conditions of the job had not changed. I believe IGA was hesitant in bringing Donald back because they did not want