Legal Question in Disability Law in California

Re: Workplace Accommodations for Bipolar Disorder.

Your employer is legally required to engage in, what is known as, an interactive process, whereby they will ask you what your limitations are and discuss with you whether they can reasonably accommodate those limitations to permit you to perform the essential functions of your job. The smaller the accommodation needed, the less likely they can claim it will cause an undue hardship on their part.

Even though you have a right to privacy, I believe it is in the best interest of any employee requesting an accommodation of their disability to be fully open and honest about the nature of their disability and educate the employer with medical documentation, so the employer can best understand the limitations and needs.

Of course, this is merely general advise and you are best served by consulting with an experienced employment law attorney to advise you properly.