Calling in sick

When you call in sick to work due to MI issues, what excuse do you tend to give? I change it up -from migraines to the flu... Do you feel guilty afterwards? I know I do -hugely, and often wish I DID have a physical illness to call in for instead of MI issues... Plus, I'm afraid colleagues might ask why I was out and then I have to lie AGAIN! Ugh!

I have fmla that is approved for intermittent use so I call in and indicate I'll be out for fmla

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I just opened a new claim for intermittent FMLA. Usually it's IBS symptoms that get aggravated my my MI. And yes, I do feel guilty for using it, but that is what it is there for. I don't want to use it, but this time I need to act on it fast so that it doesn't get REALLY bad like before, when I was using it all the time and going out on short-term disability for a month or two at a time.

Reluctantly I have been beginning to say I have mental oilless as my med certificates come from a psychiatrist which is a dead giveaway anyway. Earlier this year I had to take 6 weeks off and other illnesses wouldn't cut it. I am afraid of lying too. However I haven't told them which MI I have and they haven't asked. They have been very understanding and considerate to me which I am grateful for. Still now I am IP I am anxious they will be fed up with me talking time off (it has been over 2 months since I last had time off) and fire me. Makes me very anxious. Especially since my immediate manage is a ***** ( and that is being nice to her). I worry she will hassle me for having the time off.

You can be on FMLA, but not use it all at once? I'll have to look into that. I think it would help me not lose my mind.

I called in once for MI issues. I would more often but I'm worried I'd get fired. I felt guilty. But I always feel guilty. I even felt guilty the times I was in the hospital. And the day I couldn't work because of my grandma's funeral (which I got written up for by the way!).

I call off for MI stuff, sometimes frequently, sometimes infrequently. I don't feel guilty about it because illness is illness, and usually when I'm symptomatic my stomach is off too.
So anyway, I never say it is due to MI, I'll just say it's due to something else.

I usually say my son is sick. I know it's terrible using my son as my lie but I know they won't give me **** if my son is sick. Sometimes I'll say I'm not feeling well and leave it at that. But if I'm going to be out for while I'll just say I'm suffering depression. All my doctor's notes are from local psych hospitals and programs so they know about it anyway. Thankfully my job is very supportive.

There was a time recently I called out for half a day to see the pdoc (he fit me in because it was urgent) because my anxiety was so severe. I told my boss that I was not feeling well and I was going to the doctor to make sure I wasn't contagious. It was a half lie because obviously I'm not contagious, but I was going to the doctor. Thankfully they don't require a doctor's excuse, they just believe me. I would be embarrassed to have to show them a slip from the pdoc.

Since I have Asthma, Allergies, and some stomach issues, I usually blame it on that when my anxiety and mental health symptoms are that severe. I do feel guilt afterwards, but (sigh) I'm someone who naturally has a guilty conscience. Unfortunately, there's stigma in the world we live in where Bipolar is so misunderstood. Actually, I've been having an especially difficult time over the past week and really wish I could take off for mental health reasons, but I'm going to try to stick it out the best to my ability. Sometimes work can help take my mind off of things, but sometimes I just can't even focus or function right, so I have no choice, but to take a break.

I usually make up something embarrassing (diarrhea for example) because no one would suspect you of lying if you say something humiliating... usually when you lie you try to make yourself look better!

Ironically I work in a hospital that is "patient and family focused " unless you are also an employee. There's an Absentee Awareness Policy. Depending on how much time or how often I'm sick I go up a step. Next step requires a physician's note for every absence. Which means an ER visit since I can rarely see my doc right away (normally within 48hours). To me it's a waste of resources. It's also a huge source of stress. If I take time off I'll stress about the program which will make me sick which leads to more time off! At step 4 they can fire you got "frustration of contract". They've started a Not Myself Today campaign at work to raise awareness and tolerance. It's a big joke. Even in a healthcare setting mental illness is stigmatized.

To answer the original question, I generally just say I'm ill. My colleagues usually know what's going on, but no need to elaborate with my manager.

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Health care is among the most judgmental occupations of all. I find it terribly hypocritical, but there was nothing I could do about it, and that's one of the reasons why I'm not in nursing anymore.

I used to say migraine or flu back when I didn't understand depression and thought I was just horrible, not actually sick.

Now it depends. If I have to take more than a couple days off and need a note from my shrink I'll say mental health issues, or just health issues and they'll see psychiatrist on the doctors note. I'm done lying and hiding my issues. I don't go out and tell everyone I have a MI but I'm so done with lying, it just makes me feel worse about myself. It's sad reading the previous posts about how everyone lies.

I actually have to email my supervisor right now for time off and I'm terrified. I've pushed myself for months with depression and horrible anxiety but now I have officially snapped and wouldn't be able to function at work. I'm going to be honest with her "health issues, can't function at the moment etc." I know I can't work and it's no different than if I had a horrible physical illness, but I still feel scared admitting it to her. Most of my employers have been super supportive and I haven't taken much time off work, but you never know when you'll get someone who doesn't understand MI.