Mental health and life insurance underwriting

What underwriters generally consider

As with any condition, insurers look at the picture rather than the label.

• The specific diagnosis and when it was made
• Whether it's being treated, and consistently
• How stable things have been, and for how long
• Whether there have been hospitalisations, and when
• Whether you're working and functioning day to day
• Any history of self-harm, which insurers assess carefully
• Other conditions or substance use alongside it

Treatment generally helps the picture

The fear is that seeing a therapist or taking medication creates a record that counts against you. Underwriters generally read consistent treatment and follow-up as evidence that something is being actively managed — which is a more favourable picture than an untreated, unmonitored history.

Nobody should avoid or delay care to protect a future insurance application. That trade is a bad one on every axis, and we won't suggest it.

Why leaving it off doesn't work

Insurers check prescription histories routinely, so medication is visible whether or not it's declared. They may also request records from your physician.

More importantly, most policies carry a contestability period during which a material misrepresentation can be investigated. An omission that gets a policy issued today can cause a claim to be denied later — your family finding out at the worst possible moment.

Carriers differ, and it's worth using that

Insurer guidelines on mental health vary, sometimes considerably. A decision from one carrier tells you relatively little about another, and someone who regularly places impaired-risk cases will know where a given history is best received.

What to have ready

• Diagnosis and approximate date
• Current and past medications, with dosages
• Your treating clinician's details
• Dates of any hospitalisation
• A straightforward account of how things have been recently