Are you able to work?

Question: How many people here are unable to work do to their bipolar disorder? And if so, why?

Here’s my “why”.

I myself do not work at the moment and haven’t since 2009. I worked very closely with the public in a retail setting my whole life in the optical business. The older I got and the more responsibility I took on the worse my extreme mood swings affected my ability to do my job properly. Add to that my worsening self-medication issues and you have a person who is unemployable.

Since I’ve started taking medication for my bipolar and anxiety disorders my mood swings have decreased, but I am still triggered by stress or lack of sleep especially. I believe, as do my therapist and psychiatrist, that I am still unable to complete a days work without significant issues arising from my psychiatric conditions.

So, there’s that…just wondering if there are others out there like me…

I am totally able to work! Sometimes. At random moments. For a random length of time. :/ Which also makes me, in my opinion, unemployable. Stress triggers me heavily, and I go into ultra-ultra-rapid cycling. Four mood swings a day keeps the doctor, um, around.

I don't work, I'm studying for my PhD. It's only doable because it allows me stop working if I need to. For example, if I don't sleep, I'll stay home, and that's ok. Still, things haven't been going well, and my work's quality has been steadily decreasing. I'm hoping that will change now that I'm on the right meds/dosage. That being said, I know for a fact I would be unable to hold a 9-5 job. At least not for the past few years. Too unstable for that.

I'm going to break the trend here....

I actually work 2 jobs!!

I know right. How can I do that? Actually I have been stuffing down my illness for as long as I can remember, so I do that. One of my jobs is working in a supermarket, nobody there knows about the bipolar. I have been able to put a smile on my face every day and go into work.

The other job I work is a business I started with my wife and a friend of ours. This job is completely online and I work the hours that I want to work. Just waiting for this business to take off skip can quit the supermarket.

The only reason I can make myself go into work everyday is very simple. I want money so I can buy nice shiny things that make me happy. That and my wife would skin me alive if I just stopped going to work again. Did that a few years back, right in the height of my depression and that lead to us fighting all the time.

That being said, she knows that if I am having a really bad day and can barely function, that there is no way in hell that I would be leaving the house, and definetly not putting on pants. And she is okay eith that.

Landor

I've only been able to work part-time since Jan '13. Although it's incredibly frustrating (especially since I was offered full-time work at my current workplace), it's a decision I've had to make in order to get stable.

In the past when my bipolar has been at its most out of control, any work at all was impossible and I've had a couple of stints of unemployment because of my illness (one of 8 months and another of 6 months). Like you, crubba67, I find that stress and lack of sleep are the two major factors which tend to cause mood instability for me- and they've seemed to be inevitable to some degree when I've been working full-time.

However, I was a full-time university student for 5 years (I graduated with my Masters in 2009), and my longest period of stability of almost six years mainly coincided with this period. Although studying was stressful in its own way (particularly around exam time), I found being able to set my own schedule, sleep in/take naps, and work alone away from other people, was helpful. I also received good support from disability services when I had a manic episode at the end of first year.

I'm hoping that, since I've been in remission for over a year, I'll be able to get back to working full-time at some point, as I do feel unfulfilled and really dislike having to depend on my family so much (financially and otherwise). How to maintain stability with the stress and tiredness that comes with it, is another question though!

I think all those people out there who are able to work in the face of bipolar-related problems are incredibly strong, and I hope that those who aren't are able to reach a point in their recovery where it's possible.

Yes and no...the bipolar definitely makes it worse because I take on ridiculous tasks I don't realize I can't handle, then embarrass myself later when I realize I'm too anxious to do it. So it's like 30% bipolar 70% anxiety. I end up quitting every job I have because of that. But I'm sure if I truly had to hold down a job, I could do it.

I'm retired, but when I worked, I belonged to a good union so I had good sick leave and benefits.

Now that I'm retired, I have less long term and short term stress, both which could push me either into mania or depression.

Good question.

Too many times I came too close to effectively going postal. I spelled it out when I applied for disability and I also applied for vocational rehab at the same time. Basically I told them to either put me on disability or help me safely work and I let them make the call. They put me on disability.

I think I could work under the right circumstances. I've been exploring different options for self employment. Eventually I'll find something that'll work.

I'm able to work but at one time when I was working too many hours and was stressed out with other things in life, I had a panic attack at home and didn't want to go into work. I sucked it up and went in anyhow. But that kind of stuff doesn't actually happen AT work.

Even when we have awful patients/customers, I don't flip out. But sometimes because of either medication or just my mood, I do "scowl" at customers and I really don't mean to. I'm usually all smiles, apologetic, and say "thank you" too many times. I know people can come in with a bad attitude because they had a bad day and I don't see the point in making it worse by reacting negatively to it. (Also I don't "care" enough to give them that satisfaction of getting under my skin)

If I do something wrong or my bosses or coworkers have a problem with me, I just take the criticism, apologize, and promise to try harder. Can't change the past so I just make plans to do better.

My disorder just doesn't affect me at work. Maybe because I don't care enough for it to? The job is educational and directly related to my desired career. But it's temporary.

My troubles tend to show up in school and in my personal relationships because those things are really important to me so I stress over them more.

no. I haven't worked since 2007. on disability.