[lunarpariah]

(Sorry if this gets pretty long)

Two months ago I had to take a Leave of Absence from work due to stress, anxiety, and depression.

My doctor already had me on Pristiqe for a while because I often had these problems. When I went to him after I took a leave he suggested that I start seeing a T. At first it did not seem to be working because my mind was so shot I couldn't an end in sight.

I ended up having to be admitted due to suicidal thoughts. That turned out to be one of the best things that could happen. While in there I met with a pyschiatrist every day and before I was released he said that I had Major Depressive Disorder, recurrent severe. He doubled my dose of pristiqe and added Trazadone and Seroquel. All the crazy thoughts and behaviors began slowly going away as the medications kicked in. He also set up an appointment for me for a regular Pdoc back home.

After a couple sessions with him he changed my diagnosis to Bipolar Disorder and added Lamictal to my cocktail.

The medications and psychotherapy did wonders for me then. After assessing me, my T and I was ready to go back to work on June 17th with a restriction of not working on multiple tasks at the same time. This seemed reasonable because whenever I split my focus I would have a hard time concentrating and my short term memory would take a dive.

I notified work that my T was releasing me back to work on June 17th. On that date I returned to work as scheduled only to be told by HR that I needed to fill out an ADA Accomodation request even though I could fufil my essential job functions without an accomodation.

I called the HR manager for the company to discuss why I needed to file an accomodation but she would never return my calls. I even spoke to her supervisor and was advised by him that "It sounds like you don't want to come back to work"

Feeling like I had no choice my T and I filled out an accomodation request and I turned it in to HR. That was three weeks ago and I still have not heard anything from her. I called JAN (if you are not familiar with this company and have a disability I would very much encourage you to look them up). I told them the details about me wanting to come back to work and the roadblocks I had encountered and was advised that on the surface it looked like a violation of the ADA. They gave me the information to file a claim with the EEOC. Bear in mind that that I have been out for two months without any contact with the company despite repeated requests. They refuse to talk to me until I come back from Leave.

I love the company for which I have worked for the past 11 years and do not want them to get in trouble. I would really rather handle this issue with senior leaders of the company when I return but I'm questioning if my return will ever happen unless I put pressure on the decision makers. I have given them until Monday to resolve my ADA then I will in fact have to file a claim.

Not matter which way the Accommodation request goes I know I am in for a huge fight when I return. I have to do this for myself as I believe that if you are wronged then you have to stand up for yourself.

I am extremely worried about how I will be able to handle this with all the stress that will surely arise when I confront them on their behavior and the impact on working relations going forth. Hopefully my meds will stand up to the task. Although I know this is something I have to face for me and for others who may come behind. (Perhaps I can bring my mom?) j/k

Anywho ... if you have prayer lists please add me to them.

I'll let you know how it goes.

[Sophia57]

I will pray for you. This sounds like terrible discrimination, and I hope you are able to get your job back and prove to them you can do the job. Hugs and good luck.

[kaliope]

lunarpariah
yes, it does not seem that you have any choice, your company has backed you into a corner with little option but to go to the ADA. it is a shame when it seems like you have been a committed employee for so long. i will keep you in my prayers.

[eskielover]

Wow, you sound a lot like me, fighting for things you know are wrong.....I ended up actually loosing my career....I had ended up in a department that didn't fit my skills. I was a firmware design engineer & when the project ended, they didn't have any firmware positions that I fit at the time, so I ended up in the policies & procedures group & felt like nothing but a glorified secretary (which was definitely NOT what I went to college & got my degree for)......I worked at that for awhile & then it just got too much & my anxiety rose so bad, I couldn't function. Then, the Northridge earthquake hit & I couldn't even get to work for weeks because of the collapsed freeway, then it took me 6 hours to drive one way to work. I ended up going out on MLA (medical leave of absence) for 6 months & the anxiety turned to depression because I knew I couldn't go back to that position. I found another technical position, but the director of the department wouldn't allow me to change. I ended up taking them up on a workman's comp case but it seemed like every time I had a deposition or anything dealing with the court, I would always end up suicidal afterward & lived in & out of the hospital for years during that time & even afterward for quite a few years.....ended up loosing the case, but they paid me NOT TO APPEAL. It was a huge mess & it wasn't worth it to me to fight any longer....felt like there was NO way I could win anything at that point & what I was loosing was pretty great.

I agree, however that it's important to fight their system & try to make things right.....but things don't always turn out the way we know they should & we have to be willing to accept what happens no matter what the outcome.

Praying you have the strength to get through this without the horrible reactions that I went through when confronting the company.

[Anneinside]

Getting the ADA accommodations you need can be very difficult. I was a professor and requested 3 accommodations - no early morning classes, no out of town classes and one online class if I was qualified to teach it. The first semester back from a leave of absence they broke every accommodation and I didn't feel like I had any recourse. I ended up going back on leave.

Another story. When I came back from the first leave they made me sign a statement that I would not disclose my diagnosis or symptoms to any faculty, staff, or students. They said I couldn't come back to work unless I signed it. Definitely discrimination. I signed the statement and went back to work.

[mokie]

I will keep you in my prayers. I wish I could of had the fight in me in my last job but was not doing well. I wish you the best in doing what you feel is right.