ive been told from the beginning of my employment that mental health days arent a thing here. i get that, this is a maintenance department in oklahoma and no one here probably thinks mental illness even exists. but my hours are cutting me off from care that i need, and my job is often killing me more often than it helps. ive been seeing my therapist for a couple months, and hes finally determined that i need to see a psychiatrist for sure because i,m having psychotic symptoms that seem to be worsening and he suspects i have schizoaffective disorder. the place he referred me to only operated frm 8am to 3pm -- i work from 7:30am to 4pm. this has been a problem in the past. almost everywhere in my area is completely inaccessible on my work hours.

my point im trying to get to, before i go off on any further tangents: is it ok to take sick leave for a psychiatric evaluation? is the sour feeling in my stomach at the thought of taking leave for mental help just my own internalized ableism ? or is it really so tacky and i should just try to find somewhere else? though like i said i run into the same road block nearly everywhere