# Life assurance - Anti depressants



## nolanm (26 May 2008)

I have recently been getting quotes for Life assurance.  I have taken anti depressants (Lexapro) to treat anxiety not depression in the past but only have been seen by a GP.  Does this need to be declared? 

If it is not delared does it only become a voidable issue in a related death scenario ie suicide?

Thanks


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## z105 (26 May 2008)

Welcome to AAM !

IMO yes, it does have to be declared, they will more than likely then write to your doctor for full medical report. As far as I know the chief medical officer of the insurance company is the only one entitled to peruse the gp's reports etc.


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## LDFerguson (26 May 2008)

You must always answer questions on a life assurance application truthfully and fully. It is for the company to decide whether a declared fact is relevant or not. If you're not sure whether a condition is relevant, declare it anyway. That's the safest thing to do. 

Taking Lexapro does not mean you'll automatically have any problem getting life assurance. It just means the company will investigate further, i.e. write to your doctor to get the clinical diagnosis, severity, prognosis etc., before making a decision.


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## PM1234 (26 May 2008)

Answer the questions truthfully. If the life company require more information they will contact your GP to have a medical history report completed. Non disclosure of medical issues may invalidate your policy.


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## galwegian44 (27 May 2008)

Nolanm - while I agree with the rest of the posts in answering all questions truthfully, don't offer any information that is not asked for. On a recent application I was naive enough to put in additional info and this was enough for the company to reject my wife for life assurance. They automatically assumed the worst case scenario and further letters from her GP and even a consultant verifying her health status did not change their opinion.

My approach would be to ask my own GP whether your condition should be declared in respect to the question being asked and follow their advice. While it is imperative that you answer truthfully be aware that your statements may/will be held against you. Be honest, but don't be naive either. They are not looking after your best interests (that's your job), they are looking to maximise profits.

Good Luck.



nolanm said:


> I have recently been getting quotes for Life assurance. I have taken anti depressants (Lexapro) to treat anxiety not depression in the past but only have been seen by a GP. Does this need to be declared?
> 
> If it is not delared does it only become a voidable issue in a related death scenario ie suicide?
> 
> Thanks


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## shaking (27 May 2008)

You definitely need to declare this on the form, if down the claim a claim was made and it came to light that you hadn't disclosed the information the life company can and probably will refuse to pay out. which means the money you've paid in over the years was a complete waste


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## serotoninsid (27 May 2008)

shaking said:


> if down the claim a claim was made and it came to light that you hadn't disclosed the information the life company can and probably will refuse to pay out.


Is that regardless of the circumstances? ie. if the reason for the claim was far removed from the information that had not been disclosed?


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## ClubMan (27 May 2008)

serotoninsid said:


> Is that regardless of the circumstances? ie. if the reason for the claim was far removed from the information that had not been disclosed?


Yes. Uberrima fides and all that...


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## nolanm (27 May 2008)

Thanks for all the replies,

I re read the specific question carefully and it asks you to declare any medication that you took in the past 12 months that were perscribed for longer than 12 months, therefore I feel that even if the GP was sympathetic in teh event of a claim (which she is, and I have gone thru it with her since the first post), the correct answer is - YES, there was a prescription for longer than two weeks and I should give the details.
Again ,thanks to all, I will come back with the outcome once they come back to me. At least my conscience will be clear!!


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## sparkeee (28 May 2008)

just tell the truth.


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## nolanm (1 Jul 2008)

An Update - I received a quote from the company yesterday after they sought a report from my GP.  As it happens the medical info re the anti depressants didn't have any effect on the quote.  Obviously there are scales of treatment v risk v quote loadings and I didn't fall on the scale.  So we are delighted and the cover is now in place.  Lesson learned.. Disclose all re the specific Q's asked and leave the analysis to the experts.


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## bogota400 (1 Jul 2008)

If I hadn't declared initially, what possibility is there to correct the situation 3 or 4 years later?
The background is that I was prescribed anxiety meds probably only a couple of weeks before I signed the life assurance declaration. I didnt expect to still be on them - and having read this thread, I see that its a problem.

If i go back to them now, surely there is the possibility that my premium will increase a few times over??


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## LDFerguson (1 Jul 2008)

You've two choices - (1) go back to your original insurer and tell them the full story.  They will most likely review your case and may or may not decide to charge you more, depending on the medical specifics.  (2) Approach another life assurance company and apply for the same cover.


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## PM1234 (1 Jul 2008)

bogota400 said:


> If I hadn't declared initially, what possibility is there to correct the situation 3 or 4 years later?
> The background is that I was prescribed anxiety meds probably only a couple of weeks before I signed the life assurance declaration. I didnt expect to still be on them - and having read this thread, I see that its a problem.
> 
> If i go back to them now, surely there is the possibility that my premium will increase a few times over??



You really ought to have answered the question re current medication truthfully at the time. 

What type of policy did you take out ie life cover only or are there additional benefits on it also?  If you have life cover only, you are probably ok unless a claim is made as a result of the condition related to the medication, which may well invalidate the policy.   If you have additional benefits e.g. hospitalisation etc it is more important to have the misinformation corrected.

For peace of mind and especially if you have dependants I'd suggest contacting the life assurance company and advising them an error was made. While it is unlikely to affect your cover, it is better in the long run, to have these things in order.


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## bogota400 (4 Jul 2008)

PM1234 said:


> You really ought to have answered the question re current medication truthfully at the time.
> 
> What type of policy did you take out ie life cover only or are there additional benefits on it also? If you have life cover only, you are probably ok unless a claim is made as a result of the condition related to the medication, which may well invalidate the policy. If you have additional benefits e.g. hospitalisation etc it is more important to have the misinformation corrected.
> 
> For peace of mind and especially if you have dependants I'd suggest contacting the life assurance company and advising them an error was made. While it is unlikely to affect your cover, it is better in the long run, to have these things in order.


Its just life cover. No dependants - but I don't like to make foolish purchasing decisions and obviously I have done here.



			
				LDFerguson said:
			
		

> (2) Approach another life assurance company and apply for the same cover.


 Didnt think it was possible to switch when it came to life assurance.  Will try this option - at least if theres a heavy premium and I can't afford to pay excess at the moment, I can defer for a while.

Thanks for replies.


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