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    One minor but important point: according to Wikipedia, the definition of mental health is the "psychological state of someone who is functioning at a satisfactory level of emotional and behavioral adjustment". From everything you've described, it sounds like the professor in question does not have a mental health issue; he has a brain health issue. Memory loss and loss of cognitive faculty is generally a sign of Alzheimer's or other neurodegenerative physical illness, and as such I think the title ought to be changed. In any case, the situation is serious, and needs to be handled carefully. Commented Feb 18, 2015 at 16:43
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    You should be able to speak confidentially with your HR representative, especially wrt what is the proper way for you to proceed in this matter. Commented Feb 18, 2015 at 19:26
  • @Compass I'm guessing so, but the brush-off of his assistant does sound like they might not realize the severity of the problem.
    – Moriarty
    Commented Feb 18, 2015 at 19:56
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    HR should be available to all paid employees, even if you haven't been specifically assigned a representative. This is true for virtually all institutions. Just go over to HR and ask to speak to someone in confidence. Commented Feb 19, 2015 at 16:17
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    As a side note, it's slightly worrying that he found out when his assistant decided to tell someone. That information should be strictly confidential, even if the assistant didn't feel like it should be. It may be that the assistant spilled the beans, but if he found out some other way, that's not right. Commented Feb 19, 2015 at 17:35