Hello. I'm just curious as to how many of you/us are employed? I am a 35 year old female who's held various medium to high level jobs that have paid great. I have been off work since December. You might notice that I have also posted a thread about cognition. Well, I'm very concerned that my bipolar, mixed with my Borderline Personality Disorder, mixed with my medication side effects, mixed with my cognition impairments may make it very difficult to function in my job, and any job. I have an appointment with my pdoc on Monday and will definitely bring this up, but I just was wondering what others do/have done? Thanks.

[HALLIEBETH87]

It was hard for me to keep my longest kept job. It was so hard to do things and remember things. I'm surprised I wasn't fired before I quit! I even took fmla three times before quitting! Right now? I know I can't keep a job.

[Homeira]

Not working for about two years now. Not looking like I am going back to work for a good long while either.

[hopeless2015]

This has me worried, I have 20 years at my job, currently on FMLA, currently not going to work. Just diagnosed bipolar. I have no idea how this is going to go, only getting a couple hrs of sleep at night and no desire to leave the house. I know I have some hard times coming. I'm interested in hearing how others are managing as well

[lunaticfringe]

For my entire adult life I've been unable to hold a job for longer than a few months and always had problems with concentration and understanding tasks. Now I am on transitional assistance and waiting to hear back about SSI/SSDI. I hope to one day be able to go to school. For now I'm just keeping myself busy doing household tasks.

[czarina1984]

I am an accountant and I have been off work/on disability since 2012. I worked for 2 1/2 years after my official diagnosis thru sheer determination and by ignoring what was going on as long as I could. But my body does not tolerate perscriptions well and that caught up with me. I try to work for a close friend a few hours a week for something to do but it is hard for me to be "okay" consistantly or for more than a few hours. I was 27 when I stopped working and I still miss the energy and losing myself in my work.

[newtothis31]

Hi there- Hugs! What type of cognition impairments are you having? What type of work do you do? What sort of skills do you need to demonstrate in order to keep your job? How well does your job match up with your natural strengths?

I've been very fortunate- my job compliments my natural strengths and talents. I was diagnosed with BPI when I got a job promotion. I ended up off work for nearly 3 months (came dangerously close to exhausting my FMLA) while I adjusted to the medicine.

The worst part about bipolar is how long it can take for the medications to take effect and coping with the side effects.

My advice would be to think of what you love to do- regardless of your diagnosis. It may entail a change in pay. Not sure how recently you've been diagnosed- but another thing that will help you long-term is establishing strong routines. Really use this time to focus on going to bed at the same time at night and waking up at the same time. It sounds obvious but it is a really hard skill to master.

[Iamalioness]

I am not currently working. I had a job last year at a coffee shop and she fired me after 3 months, saying I wasn't fast enough. I, too, felt like I had a hard time remembering the processes I had to learn eg. Making the specialty coffees and different sandwiches. I just couldn't remember the order to do things in, and constantly had to ask someone to show me how to do things. I am on disability, but struggle with feeling like I "should" be working. I also have some pressure from my husband to be working because we struggle financially. I just don't feel like I am "able" enough to work anymore. I guess I need to stop looking at the "shoulds" in my life and just focus on what I can do!

Originally Posted by newtothis31

Hi there- Hugs! What type of cognition impairments are you having? What type of work do you do? What sort of skills do you need to demonstrate in order to keep your job? How well does your job match up with your natural strengths?

I've been very fortunate- my job compliments my natural strengths and talents. I was diagnosed with BPI when I got a job promotion. I ended up off work for nearly 3 months (came dangerously close to exhausting my FMLA) while I adjusted to the medicine.

The worst part about bipolar is how long it can take for the medications to take effect and coping with the side effects.

My advice would be to think of what you love to do- regardless of your diagnosis. It may entail a change in pay. Not sure how recently you've been diagnosed- but another thing that will help you long-term is establishing strong routines. Really use this time to focus on going to bed at the same time at night and waking up at the same time. It sounds obvious but it is a really hard skill to master.

I have discovered recently that my cognition has significantly diminished. I have extreme trouble thinking of the word I want to use. It feels like it's on the tip of my tongue. After 30 or so seconds, it will come to me. I also used to be great at spelling. Lately, I have trouble spelling the most simple words. Also, when writing a sentence, I often use the incorrect context. As well, I used to have a great memory. When starting a new job, I would just be shown once how to do something and be able to do it again, with no help. Now, I need to take notes and be shown repeatedly how to do the task.

[raspberrytorte]

I work full time. I've been at the same job for eight years. It's a good job for me. Lots of physical activity. Before this one I worked in an office (HR person) and quit because I couldn't handle sitting all day.

But I consider myself high functioning. I work when I'm depressed. I somehow managed to work when I was psychotic (that one makes me feel impressed. lol!). Just me though.

[raspberrytorte]

My job actually makes me feel grounded in a way. Without it I feel I'd be in a worse state.

[newtothis31]

Originally Posted by momof2boys5848

I have discovered recently that my cognition has significantly diminished. I have extreme trouble thinking of the word I want to use. It feels like it's on the tip of my tongue. After 30 or so seconds, it will come to me. I also used to be great at spelling. Lately, I have trouble spelling the most simple words. Also, when writing a sentence, I often use the incorrect context. As well, I used to have a great memory. When starting a new job, I would just be shown once how to do something and be able to do it again, with no help. Now, I need to take notes and be shown repeatedly how to do the task.

Do you think its nerves? It's weird how you go from thinking too fast to not thinking at all with some medication.

How long have you been on your current dosage? Your body will try to counteract some of the side effects.

I'd try to work on some mind games to get yourself in the mode- I remember when I started out on my medicine- playing chess and scrabble helped me get my mind together. I was playing at a 4th grade level and just had to accept it, and have faith that my cognition would come back once I got on the optimal dosage.

How much sleep do you get?

[wildflowerchild25]

Originally Posted by raspberrytorte

My job actually makes me feel grounded in a way. Without it I feel I'd be in a worse state.

I must agree. I took three months off my job in the fall and I inly survived it because I was going to a PHP during the day. Without that to do I feel I would have been worse.

This fall was the second time I've taken extended time off a job since I was 17 and got my first job. I've been steadily employed in various places for ten years. I think I took a year between jobs when I started college but I know I started working In the summer again after that. Having a job makes me feel better about myself.

I am also high functioning though. I am very good at pretending nothing is wrong. It was ingrained in me from a very young age. Even when I was a paranoid mess thinking something outside of me was trying to get me to kill myself I managed to go to work and keep a happy face on, at least while people were around (I took many "bathroom breaks" where I would go and sit in a stall for five or ten minutes to be alone).

[Skywalking]

Full time for seven years in one of the most stressful, challenging, deadline-driven, and occasionally traumatic careers you can choose. It's long hours, low pay, uncertain, and I love it as much as I hate it.

It probably added to my getting bipolar. I didn't have problematic issues till a few years ago. But I owe thousands of dollars in student loans, so not working is never going to be an option. I'm fortunate in that my bipolar seems to be mild, letting me live my life even though I have those days I don't want to get out of bed.

[BipolaRNurse]

I haven't worked in a year, and it's not likely to change anytime soon. My memory is like Swiss cheese and I can't seem to learn new tasks very well. That's what cost me my last job. I've always struggled with jobs and never have been able to stick with any one longer than two and a half years. But now I've had to apply for disability, and who knows how that will go. I just don't see myself being able to do much of any kind of work between my physical, mental, and cognitive problems.

[Crazy Hitch]

I am currently unemployed

[Row Jimmy]

I have the same general diagnosis and am struggling with the same thing......just posted the same sort of thread a few minutes ago. Cosmic.

I have a stressful job I don't like. I am in the process of self-destructing like I have in the past.

I am searching for answers as well. I can't ride the employment ups and downs anymore and it is wearing me out.

However, people like us are often seeking new challenges. I am BORED at my job and feel like I get dumber by the hour. I am considering taking it upon myself to either lower the priority I self-assign my job or to seek out new challenges where I work. I do a good job but people sense I am annoyed and bored beyond belief. What I am not waiting on is any help or guidance from management.

[RisuNeko]

I've worked since I was 16 ( I'm 25) with only a few breaks when i had student loans to live on for a term. I guess I'm high functioning too because I have psychotic symptoms at my current job and was depressed for the first 8 months of my job and went manic a couple of weeks ago for 3 weeks and nobody at work suspected anything because my anxiety disorder has taught me to fake my way through the day no matter how I feel. I'm trying to get on disability because all this pretending takes a massive toll on my psyche among other reasons but I don't think I'll get it because I work and go to school right now. Never mind the fact that I've lost numerous jobs due to depression and I completely skip school when I'm manic. And boy do I suffer from all the stress of trying to keep all the balls in the air at once. But I don't think the SSI people will care.

[Bluesday]

I haven't worked in a year. I'm basically fine with going every day when I have a job, but it's the "getting one" that is a huge obstacle.

[Raindropvampire]

Same job going on 14 years in august but despite how easy my job is it takes everything I have. There is no quality of life it's work then go home and sleep until it's time to work again. I don't know if I'm actually high functioning or if it's just being able to put on a good front.

It helps that for 6 hours I'm locked in here by myself. Gives me a lot of time to cry without being interrupted. Or if I'm in a manic rage I'm isolated so no one is ticking me off more.

[StressCadet]

I had 10 yrs on one job and 7 on another, all while having BP, Panic disorder, and several anxiety dx. I was a computer programmer, so I could sort of hide at my desk most of the time. About 8 yrs ago, after having taken over a year off, I was finally approved for SS disability. Pretty much home bound, but it's the only environment I can really function in besides 3 doctors and 1 tdoc.

[ozzy1313]

I have always worked. This year I had my worst depression ever and except for one day I never missed work. Work helps keep me stable. It is a constant. No matter what is going on with me work is pretty much always the same.

I am a waitress which is a pretty fast paced job and when we are busy I am too busy to think which is a good thing. During the depression there were some slight cognitive issues but nothing that anyone else noticed. Before that I taught in a high school with special needs kids and before that I was a social worker.

[iaem85]

I'm employed but currently on sick leave. I absolutely love my job and the company I work for. But since last year I have a new manager who's just the worst. The stress level in the team just went skyrocketing since he has the most obnoxious way of managing people: divide and conquer. People became very distressed in the team and stopped trusting each other. A colleague had a burn out and went on sick leave. There were and are many complaints against him, including sexual harassment. Unfortunately he has not been fired until now, his manager is waiting for his contract to end so she does not have to fire him (Dutch Labour Law is quite strict with employers).
Lately I realized I was not keeping up with the amount of tasks, my concentrating had gone down the drain, my memory sometimes was just blank and I would almost faint with so much anxiety before a meeting or presentation with directors. Until it hit me very hard last month and I just called HR to inform I was sick. Since then I'm on sick leave, luckily the company cannot fire me or oblige me to go back to work before I get better. And still my reintegration is going to be slowly, there's a company doctor following up my case and his job is to support the employee not the employer. But still it sucks because it's hard for me to switch off my mind from work and not to think about my projects.

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[scatterbrained04]

I work full-time in a management position. I haven't been unemployed since I was 16 or 17. Like a couple others have said, work keeps me grounded. I tend to feel better at work than I do at home for the most part.

I understand the cognitive impairment. I used to be excellent at at lot of things, and now I have to look simple things up sometimes. One of the things I try to do are puzzles. I do sudoku a lot. Reading also seems to help. I used to be a good writer, but now my brain seems incapable. I think maybe if I force myself to do it, I might get better? Lamictal really was affecting my brain when I was taking it. I'm doing a lot better in this area since I quit taking it.

[Homeira]

I find that doing small craft-projects, and doing a little sewing helps me focus and it is something very hands-on that I also have to use a little bit of thinking. I enjoy it and it helps me clear my head.