Earlier this month, we brought your attention to local ad agency Palmer Advertising's Craigslist ad. The advertisement seeking a print/web designer caused a stir since it mentioned that, however humorously intended, those diagnosed with bipolar disorder need not apply. It specifically stated, "The successful candidate will have ... Sanity. If you are a prima donna, bipolar, or require anger management, please go to a big agency where you can hide in the crowd."

However tongue-and-cheekily it meant to come off to potential candidates, it was not cool—especially when it comes to ADA laws and mental heath. But now the owner of said agency, Drew Palmer, has made remarkable amends.

First off, he made the following comment on SFist, apologizing for the remark.

This is Drew Palmer of Palmer Advertising. Your blog post was brought to my attention this morning. I am writing to sincerely apologize for the bullet point in the ad posted by Palmer. I certainly did not mean to offend anyone and the ad should not have been written and posted in this manner. Palmer does not discriminate against any one person for having disabilities and recognizes state laws regarding this subject. As soon as I read your sent email, the line was immediately deleted from the posting because you brought to my attention how people may take this, and it was wrong to write it. I hope all your readers can accept my apology.

Sincerely, Drew Palmer

Pretty cool. He could've lost his cool or, worse, been an outright dick about our post. He wasn't. Stand-up attitude, folks. Also of note? Chrisa Hickey, mental health blogger and parent of a teen with schizophrenia, wrote to SFist, saying:

When I heard about the Palmer Advertising Craigslist ad, I emailed Drew Palmer, owner of Palmer Advertising. We had a good email conversation - he seems very genuinely upset that this happened, and wants to make it right. When he asked me how he could, I suggested he reach out to NAMI San Francisco and offer his services in marketing and advertising, free of charge.

He instantly agreed and has reached out to their Executive Director. He wants to turn this negative into a positive.

I posted on my blog about our interaction, and I thought, you being local (I am from the Bay Area, but now reside in Chicago), you could help him connect to NAMI SF and be sure this comes to pass. I'm sure it will, if the right connection could be made, but it could use some coaxing!

Read all about Hickey's interaction here. (And, please, don't shun Palmer Advertising; they've done the right thing.)

A friendly reminder that, according to ADA laws, discriminating against a candidate or employee based on their mental health is illegal. Which is why, however tongue-in-cheek, San Francisco-based ad agency Palmer Advertising's Craigslist ad for a designer is cause for concern. In part of their requirements for the open Print & Web Designer gig, they note: "The successful candidate will have ... Sanity. If you are a prima donna, bipolar, or require anger management, please go to a big agency where you can hide in the crowd."

What does the ADA have to say about eschewing bipolars in the workplace? The National Alliance on Mental Illness has more:

The ADA requires employers who provide "reasonable accommodations" for qualified individuals with disabilities. What are "reasonable accommodations" for people with severe mental illness?

Examples of reasonable accommodations for people with severe mental illnesses included providing self-paced workloads and flexible hours, modifying job responsibilities, allowing leave (paid or unpaid) during periods of hospitalization or incapacity, assigning a supportive and understanding supervisor, modifying work hours to allow people to attend appointments with their psychiatrist, providing easy access to supervision and supports in the workplace, and providing frequent guidance and feedback about job performance.

Further, California employment law dictates:

The FEHA is the principal California statute prohibiting employment discrimination covering employers, labor organizations, employment agencies, apprenticeship programs and any person or entity who aids, abets, incites, compels, or coerces the doing of a discriminatory act. It prohibits employment discrimination based on race or color; religion; national origin or ancestry, physical disability; mental disability or medical condition.

In an ironic twist, the ad agency in question boasts the following client base: Health & Medicine, CalCPA ProtectPlus, Conquest Imaging, Doctors Medical Center, Hana Biosciences, San Joaquin General Hospital, Sutter Tracy Community Hospital, and—get this—the United States Postal Service.

Look, we get it. The agency took a stab, if you will, at humor. Or something resembling humor. Palmer doesn't want any loose-cannon, ego-driven jerks applying for the job. Makes sense. But bipolar disorder is a very serious (and very treatable!) mental illness, and an offhand comment like that was, at best, careless. At worst, cruel. Some of the finest, most talented people we personally know live with it—successfully so. You would have to be crazy to shun a pal, a colleague, or a qualified candidate living with bipolarism.

Update: As commenter Justin Alan Ryan points out, an agency with fewer than 15 people are not subject to the ADA. But they are subject to California Employment Law, which "prohibits employment discrimination based on race or color; religion; national origin or ancestry, physical disability; mental disability or medical condition."

Currently on sabbatical at the psychiatric unit of San Francisco County jailhouse for trying to beat the holy hell out of Nobel Prize winner Elie Wiesel -- and also hopped up on meds to soothe his lack of mental clarity , which supposedly triggered the violent incident -- the apologetic 23-year-old Eric Hunt will go to trial on September 4.

Staring down the barrel of six felony charges -- i.e., attempted battery, stalking, kidnapping, false imprisonment, elder abuse, and false imprisonment of an elder, each count also tagged with a hate crime allegation -- it will be interesting to see how this plays out since Hunt reportedly suffers from bipolar disorder. Which type of bipolar is unclear as of now.

According to Hunt's lawyer, this incident "came about as a result of a psychiatric condition and not anti-Semitism and hatred." He could receive up to seven years in prison and a $100,000 fine, said prosecutors.

Oy is right.