Reference no: EM133094593
Case Study-Appraisal
It had been one hour since Phil Lee, a long-time professor at Conseco College (Conseco), had left Karen Hessle's office to cycle home and questions still swirled in Hessle's head. The department chair of computer studies wondered what to do about Lee's unusual and erratic behavior.
CONVERSATION WITH JULIE LEE
Hessle decided to call Lee's wife, Julie, to ask whether she had observed Lee's unusual behavior. Hessle and Julie had no previous relationship and had never met. Julie informed her that Lee suffered from bipolar disorder, a mental illness. Currently, Lee was in a state of mania, and this was the cause of his uncharacteristic behavior. Hessle explained that Lee had stopped taking his medication.
Julie Lee was appreciative of the call and explained that, over the past month, her husband had gone through quite a serious manic episode. Julie also explained that Lee had been claiming that everything at work was fine. Julie thanked Hessle and left the conversation, saying that she would take care of things.
The phone call was out of character for Hessle since she had never called a family member about an employee's performance before. Despite her reservations that there could be some repercussions from this decision, Hessle believed this was the responsible action,given her relationship with Lee and the close-knit environment within the department.
BIPOLAR DISORDER
Hessle had experience dealing with a variety of unusual circumstances at work but thought that, for Lee's safety, she should step outside her typical managerial boundaries and do some research about Lee's disorder.
Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in a person's mood, energy and ability to function. It is an illness that affects the mood of an individual, causing larger shifts in behavior than that of an average individual.1 Studies have shown that one in five Canadians will be affected by a mental illness during their lives.2 Also, more than 10 per cent of the adult population will suffer from the depressive side of this illness.3 By 2020, it was estimated that depressive illnesses would become the second leading cause of disease burden worldwide and the leading cause in developed countries like Canada.4
Bipolar disorder is characterized by prolonged and dramatic mood swings with two extremes: mania and depression. The symptoms of mania are increased energy, excessively high or euphoric mood, distractibility and increased sexual drive, among other things. For depression, the symptoms are anxiety, lasting sadness, feelings of guilt or helplessness, decreased energy and, potentially, thoughts of suicide.5
Bipolar disorder can be treated effectively with a variety of drugs called "mood stabilizers."6 These drugs can be extremely effective in controlling episodes of mania or depression when they are taken continuously. Therefore, it is possible for people with this disease to work and adjust to everyday life.
WHAT TO DO?
Hessle now understood Lee's uncharacteristic behavior, but what should she do next? Explain some strategies and appraisal methods Hessle can use in order to improve and evaluate performance and behavior of Lee at workplace?