Mental health disclosure refers to an applicant's obligation to accurately report past and current mental health conditions, treatments, medications, and hospitalizations on insurance applications. Because mental health can materially affect mortality, morbidity, and risk of self-harm, life, disability, and long-term care insurers routinely ask detailed questions about depression, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, substance use disorders, suicide attempts, and psychiatric hospitalizations. Full mental health disclosure allows underwriters to assess risk using medical records, prescription histories, and professional treatment notes. Incomplete or misleading answers may lead to coverage denials, rescission during the contestable period, or claims disputes. Regulatory frameworks and privacy laws restrict how mental health information is collected, used, and shared, but they do not eliminate the requirement to answer application questions truthfully. Balancing confidentiality and underwriting needs is a central issue in mental health disclosure for insurers.

In practice, producers encounter mental health disclosure issues when clients are reluctant to share information about counseling, medications, or prior hospitalizations. Advisors often reassure clients that underwriters are accustomed to evaluating depression, anxiety, and other conditions, and that full disclosure is safer than omitting treatment history that will likely appear in prescription checks or medical records. Applications typically include questions about diagnosis dates, treating providers, current medications, therapy frequency, and any suicidal ideation or attempts. If a client discloses mental health history after submitting an application, agencies may need to amend answers or notify the carrier proactively. Claims departments also review mental health disclosure when evaluating suicide claims within the contestable period. Training for agents emphasizes asking questions exactly as written, documenting answers carefully, and avoiding coaching clients to understate symptoms, as misrepresentation can harm both clients and agencies.