This is kind of tough for me to discuss, but yes, I was in a full-time management level job at a large company. Over a 3.5 year period, I was in and out of the psych hospital 10 times with Partial Hospitalization Programs and Intensive Outpatient Programs in between. After my first of 10, I was in the PHP/IOP for six months. My therapist there wanted me to quit my career job, but I decided to go back. The length of my attempts varied between the mentioned hospitalizations. I believe I made five attempts to return to work total. I'm not sure of the exact number. During most of the 3.5 year period, I was on short-term or long-term private disability. Most attempts to return to work only reached part-time, except one where I managed to get back to full-time, briefly. It was a hellish period! At the end, it was determined that I should apply for SSDI. I was approved first try.

My bipolar disorder worsened as I aged, unmedicated. The stress of working and the ramifications of my bipolar behavior led to alcohol abuse, too. My episodes were severe, and the kindling effect was applicable. Other stressors exacerbated my situation. My stress tolerance took a nose dive, not that I had been "tolerating" it in a healthy way, anyway. The whole experience was traumatizing to a degree that I had what I refer to as a "psychiatric avalanche". I have not been adequately functional for a long time. My time on disability helps with my wellness, and I try to take steps forward again, but unfortunately, steps forward often become destabilizing for me. I hope that will change in the future.