‘This is utterly disgusting, it’s discrimination at its finest...’
A DAD was refused life insurance because he suffered from depression two years ago.
Jonathan Halstead has now slammed insurance firm LV= for ‘utterly disgusting discrimination’ after they rejected his application.
He was first diagnosed with depression five years ago when he was made redundant, then the condition briefly returned in 2017 when his mum passed away.
The 40-year-old printer soon recovered and says he has never had a day off work due to the condition.
Yet last week, Jonathan received a letter from LV= stating his life insurance application had been rejected due to ‘recurrent episodes of depression’.
Jonathan claims the rejection is ‘discrimination at its finest’ and pointed out one in four people suffering with a mental health issue in their lifetime. Mental health charity Mind said that it was clear that despite society’s progress, there ‘are still areas where people with mental health problems experience stigma and discrimination’.
Jonathan, from Huddersfield, said: “This is utterly disgusting. These companies need exposing.
“I feel discriminated against. They are going against me because of my past depression.
“I think it’s quite shocking.
“The reason they gave is ‘recurrent depression’ which baffles me because a relative has heart problems and he has life insurance.
“In this day and age, depression is quite common. It’s a big issue.
“I haven’t been depressed for two years. Everything is fine now. It wasn’t a prolonged thing.”
Last month, Jonathan and his wife Zoe, 42, applied for life insurance cover with LV=.
When Jonathan received a letter in the post rejecting him, Zoe contacted LV= to withdraw her own application ‘in disgust’.
He believes a ‘cry for help’ overdose attempt 15 years ago, which he claims was not a suicide attempt, is making the company think he may kill himself now.
Jonathan said: “They are trying to say I may take my own life after 12 months which is ludicrous.
“I’m married and happy now. I wouldn’t leave my children without a father.
“As far as I was aware everything was going through until I got a letter saying they couldn’t offer cover.
“I had
I feel discriminated against. They are going against me because of my past depression. I think it’s quite shocking.
bouts of depression – one was when the company I worked for went into liquidation. I was out of work for three or four months around 2013 and I fell into depression.
“The next time was in 2017 when my mum was diagnosed with cancer. I was on my honeymoon in the August and when we got back they said she had only three months to live.
“I went from the jubilation of getting married to absolute devastation. It hit me like a bomb. It was a really hard time.
“They’re the only times I’ve had depression.
“The insurance [underwriters] went to the doctors and asked for the records. It’s on there when I got the [anti-depressant] tablets.
“I was given those and I was on them for just four months.
“I was never in a suicidal state at that point – but if I was, they wouldn’t pay out anyway.
“I did have an overdose attempt around 15 years ago, but that was a cry for help. It wasn’t a suicide attempt.”
Jonathan is now demanding a thorough explanation from LV= on why they declined his application and believes more should be done to prevent customers being discriminated against due to mental illness.
Jonathan said: “We’re looking into other options now.