[Pearl9327]

As I come off of what might have been a manic episode, or some kind of a mental breakdown that was pretty rough, I am faced with the possibility of leaving one part-time job, and sticking with another. I'm a part-time reporter, and an adjunct professor.

The reporter job has given me too much stress (this is my first non-freelance journalism job in years) that I've been losing it. I just got my hours reduced (so thankful!) but it appears clear that I may have to leave it. Which leaves with just the adjunct job, which pays well, but not enough to make a comfortable living. I could resume freelancing, but I have ways to go to build that up. I am considering a PT job at a law firm and fulltime research work.

Which leads to my question: what kind of work do you guys do? Has having BP effected it in anyway? If so, did you have to leave it, take a leave of absence, or even go on disability at one point? Did you ever tell your boss?

Any info is much appreciated, and for other posters too!

[BeyondtheRainbow]

When I was working (I'm on disability now) I tried various things to help. One of my biggest regrets is that I did not push for things I set up then just lost out on. For example I had 2 jobs that I arranged from the beginning to have lower hours (one 36, one 32). In both interviews they said they'd hire someone for the hours I wasn't there. Both lied and then penalized me for not doing as much as the 40 hour per week physical therapist (I was an occupational therapist). I should have fought; instead I took it upon myself to try to keep up with their demands and realized only later that they were impossible.

Eventually every employer I had knew about my bipolar. I was on disabiity LOAs several times and other times was working with vocational rehab and they had to know. Reactions varied. Some were great, one was completely freaked out and started working on how to fire me from that day forward.

My last employer was great, just expressed surprise at the diagnosis and moved on like I'd said I had a cold. They kept me on disability for 3 months longer than I was entitled as I tried to get well enough to return; I had to resign when the necessity of SSDI became apparent.

Not much advice here, just that I had varied experiences and honestly couldn't predict well which would go over ok and which would not. I also did not stand up for myself a lot of times when I should have.

I work as a software engineer. My boss doesn't care when I work or how long I work, as long as I get the job done. I can also work from home whenever I want. So, it's pretty low stress for me.

And no, I've never told my boss. I don't think it's worth it. I realize that BP is listed as a "disability", but I don't want to deal with all the potential judgment. The only time I would ever disclose my BP is if I'm having a particularly difficult time at work and I can't deliver.

I did leave my old job though because it was too high stress. I was working for a government contractor and they didn't tell me that I was forced to work 9.5-hour days. I was like, "you've got to be kidding me!" When I complained about it, they said, "depending on your contract, your boss may ask you to work overtime." Well, yeah... I was working "overtime" for 5 months in a row, and I wasn't even getting extra pay for it! (Apparently the contract said there was no overtime pay since the government was paying us a flat rate, which I didn't know about... and in my defense, who reads a 10-page contract in size 5 font?) So, I quit. I was getting paid crap anyways.

[Pearl9327]

Thanks for the info. I've been wondering what my next steps should be while I get over this recent mental crisis. It looks like the jobs someone with bipolar varies from person to person. Some can do any job, some can't. Some could do 40+ hours, others can't. It certainly is all about knowing yourself.

[gina_re]

I work for the APA in the PsycTEST database. Basically I read journals all day and write about how these psychologist developed these tests. It can be boring and stressful at times, but oddly enough I like it. The bp can sometimes effect my ability to concentrate. I can usually tell if it's a lack of sleep issue, in which I will take a quick nap or drink some type of caffeinated beverage. When I was still adjusting my meds, I would have many days of just staring at the screen not knowing what to do. I knew what my job was and how to do it, but I just couldn't get myself to do it, so I would have to tell my supervisor that I was just not able to work that day. My supervisors know of my illness and are very understanding and supportive of it. In fact one of them said she admired my ability to understand my symptoms and know when I can and cannot work and what I need to do to make things right (i.e. see my T or my pdoc, or even go to the hospital).
But nobody knew (except about two of my coworkers) until my behavior started to change. I noticed the crash into the depression and that's when I sought help, but looking back I was hypo before that. At that point I want my supervisor to know so that they understand the need to take the time off instead of me taking excessive time off "just because." Plus I ended up having to take three weeks for PHP which meant HR knew from the FMLA paperwork, but could not disclose to my supervisor, but he already knew by then. For the most part I'm open about it, but mainly because of where I work, so I'm grateful that I have this job.
I hope you are able to find what works best for you. It really can be a nerve racking process. Take care.

[Dontspeak]

I work in the legal arm of the food industry (10 years now, 2 companies). I have always wanted to tell my bosses but my therapist (same therapist across 2 jobs, 6 years now) says no, don't. BP is and isn't a protected disability. Look into it. There was a major case against a phone company, I think Verizon, in which a woman with BP was let go of her job due to a manic episode and she sued and lost under the disability act. So it's really not across the board protected. If you need time off because of an illness, then you have to disclose you are in treatment. I do not believe your doctor has to claim the treatment. But, this is to say your are working with reasonable people, which your contract job wasn't, and it was timed. So you were going to lose that job, and then fight for back pay, and the job would have ended. I mean we have to pick our battles, am I right? I talk to my sister, but I don't visit. I have a job where I work, I will not retire there. And even if it's 5 font, yes, you have to read the fine print before you sign it. OK, lesson learned. For me, as a working student, the ideal is 20 hours work, 3-4 classes. But right now I'm 32 hours work for the benefits, 3 classes going horribly. What can I do. I play the lotto when it gets big. They're not going to hang my GPA on the wall.