For those that do not work full time due to bipolar........................

I have had trouble with work because I get severe depression a couple
times a year and have to quit my job. I have had over 40 different jobs.
I was turned down the first time I tried for disability, (which I know is common.)
So I've just decided to get another job and work it as best and as long as I
can and when I fall apart I'll have to go without income again for awhile until
I start over again. I can keep a job about 4 months before crashing. I have BPII.

I was successful for a few years managing a music school for my parents. When they added on another program, and I took on a fulltime outside job, I lasted a few months before I started to crash. I was reaching way beyond my endurance level, looking back I can only guess I was in a stable manic episode, able to direct my energy towards being productive. This crash was the most devastating to me though, losing family, my son, my home, friends, my job, etc etc.

After that, I managed to find a job managing a small warehouse. I stayed there for about a year, mainly because my boss understood that some days, some weeks, I couldn't function at the same level as other weeks. The work was laid back, with long periods during the day where I could rest if needed, or work at long term projects such as efficiency inside the warehouse.

When I was laid off, I started a list of all the jobs I had held, which lasted the longest, which I felt had been the best. That's what made me realize that I couldn't really function in a work environment without serious flexibility and understanding for my disorder.

In the last few years, I've worked seasonal jobs only, and never made the final cut. Always I burn out quickly, or my migraines end the job for me.

I've been looking at going on disability for a few years now, but never had the motivation to seriously pursue it. Thankfully my husband is the major breadwinner in this house, and my work brings in play money, not bill money.

   I am also very manic, only suffering depression when it gets dark out in nov-mar. But i manage to keep my jobs because i had the luck of finding two jobs that really keep me interested. I'm a full time firefighter who had the flexability on shift to do different jobs as the sprit moves me. My other job is as a Loss Prevention Dectitive for Sears. I'm at one of the busiest stores in the company in regards to catching bad guys so every day is something new. Again my job allows me a lot of leeway as to what i do and when i do it. So that flexability really helps keep me interested.

   I did work for a while at a repetitive  job but that was a disaster for me. My mind was allways racing.

   Bill 

Hi Gem,

I think this is very worth talking about with your doctor. My doc flat out told me to quit my job a few months ago because it was causing me so much stress, and it was just a part time job! Your health has to come first. And going unemployed isn't your only option: as Bill said, choosing something else which keeps you interested, or choosing something less stressful, or part-time may help your health a lot, even if it puts a dent in your finances. You will adapt, though, and in the end be happier for it. Alternatively, your doc may have some advice about continuing your current job and minimizing your stress.

serafena

  Hey Precious Gem, i'm on respreridone (probally not the right spelling)   LOL LOL  I was on abilify which helped a little, when my doc prescribed the respreidone it was like someone turning on a light switch in a dark room. I suddenly had the ability to see the world like a normal person. It really calmed my racing mind and sexual/spending/dangerous urges.  Now i said calmed, they never really go away and on some days they are louder than others. that said i have found more days of peace this last year than i have ever had before. ANd all those days of calm help give me the rest and strenght to fight the days when they are louder, which thankfully isnt many.

   Hope this helps.

    Bill

Hello all,

I'm new to this forum, but unfortunately not new to bipolar. I was originally diagnosed with bipolar at the age of 20. Shortly after that I was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder as well. Now I have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia to add to my difficulties. Over the years I have made several attempts to work both full-time and part-time but the cycling moods and personality changes have made keeping a job difficult. With the addition of the fibro, working some days in all but impossible. After I lost my last job, I had given up the hope of ever being able to work again. Being only 33, this was not something that was encouraging or helpful to my depression. Lately I have been struggling to make it through the hour without giving in to the pain and the depression. A few weeks ago, I was lucky to finally find a company that not only understands what I'm going through, but also cares about me as a person and an employee. The best part about this job is that I get to work at home. On the days when my pain and depression are at their worst, I can lay in bed on my laptop and still complete my day of work. While this is only a part-time position, for me it works. I am able to add some income to my budget without endangering my SSDI. It also gives me a way to fill a few hours of my day with productive accomplishments. I am thankful for the opportunity that has been given to me and would like to share this information with anyone who is interested. I think having the opportunity to succeed in work is something that should be offered to everyone, no matter what disability they might have. For right now, I'm working to make it through the day. Hopefully this new employment opportunity will help me to get to a place where that is no longer the case.

I'm always open to the idea of going back to work, especially part-time at the beginning.

What scares me the most is that sometimes I feel so "right-on" and on top of everything, focusing and feeling like I have my sh-t together.  Then the next day my mind is all over the place and I can't follow anything!  I hate that.  I try to handle things over the phone and I sound like I don't even know what the heck I am talking about because I can't even follow my own thought pattern!  The worst is when your dealing with someone face to face trying to explain something!

I can't imagine having a job and going to work like that...able to function one day and not the next!

I had to laugh.  The other day I was in a Hallmark store w/my daughter.  A older lady cashier was like....hmmm, what should I do?...Oh, I'll ring you up.  Then in the middle of ringing us up she stopped to start wrapping up some of our items.  Then the phone rang.  Then after that she lost track of what she was doing and asked us what she needed to do next.  There was 1 other lady in the store but she was busy.  Thankfully the store wasn't busy at the time!

I had to laugh, but it was very sad too.  I told my daughter that if I had a job, that would be ME!  I could totally relate to how this woman felt. 

Still hoping for better days.

Good luck on your appointment today Precious Gem.  Let us know how it goes.

Me too. One day great. Next day a pudding. A grouchy, weepy pudding. It's taking me so long to get through the work that I have to do at home: namely grading and planning (the bulk of my job) because I can't concentrate well anyway and on my off days it's impossible. It's been so frustrating. I want to work. I want to do something meaningful with my life. I feel this internal pressure to have a career and sort of like a failure if I don't. Yet I can't help but question whether I should even be putting myself through this with all the heartache it causes (for me.) But I keep plugging on. It's only 2 classes.

serafena

I have BPII.  My PSY says there is no way that I should even try to get a job.  I can barly survive keeping my home functioning.  The stress of insufficient income is almost as bad as working, though.  Food banks, collection calls, public assistance, and worrying about making ends meet so we can pay for all the things like Dr visits and meds and children's needs and such.  I have applied for SSDI, but BP is an invisible disability and the lawyer says that it could be 2 years before we get a favorable decision. 

I am constantly asked why I don't work- but even the thought of trying to get a job is terrifying.  I know that I would not hire me, so I don't expect anyone else to.

this is my BP support group.

Dr visit went well.  We tweaked my meds and so far no worse off.  We talked about work, he wants me to think about cutting my hours back, stop working on the week-end and see how I fare.  There are some days I actually am glad to be at work and others I feel I am barley functioning.  Maybe med adjustment will help.

Hope everyone had a great week-end.

Gem