I lied about having an auto immune disorder at work

I have horrible anxiety that I have managed mostly successfully for about 10 yrs but I always need a safety net or an out for when things get bad. At my last job I was very honest about my anxiety, maybe too honest. Mental health has a stigma, as much as we talk about it and it accept it now are a lot of people, especially in the workplace and older people, who see anxiety as a weakness. I genuinely think it’s the reason I lost a promotion at my last job.

I got a new job about 3 yrs ago and tried a different avenue. Lying. Physical conditions are much more accepted than mental conditions. I left it pretty vague but when I was hired I said hey I have an autoimmune disorder that makes day to day a little unpredictable, and I get sick often because of it and may have a lot of doctor appointments when I have a flare up. Which is true, but it’s a therapist and not a rheumatologist.

This has worked out amazingly so far. No one blinks an eye when I have to take a last min PTO day, or have a “dr” appointment mid day, or when I need to leave the office and work from home. I work at a healthcare insurance company and they take HIPPA and every other privacy law very very seriously so I know for a fact that I will never be asked to prove it with any sort of doctors note.