[still_crazy]

I've made an amazing, possibly miraculous recovery. seriously. in most places, I would have been put in the state hospital. i guess here, in my case, they were just kinda like...ugh...well, you can have disability. LOL.

id like to work. disability is a blessing, its been a blessing, but...I'm in my early 30s, my parents are getting older, and...honestly, I don't want to be a "mental patient" indefinitely. I'll take the psych drugs, no problem, but...now that I'm healthy, remarkably "stable," and I even have a decent IQ estimate (how...I do not know...), I'd like to get one of those j-o-b things I keep hearing about. thing is..

how? I mean, have any of you out there transitioned out of the pit and into relative normalcy? and, at a practical level...

do you think I'll end up having to move? the thing about this whole "mental illness" thing is that there's a -very- strong social component, too, so I'm wondering...

should I Maybe get to tech school, get some kind of useful training, and get out of here?

my counselor and shrink aren't all that helpful (surprise, surprise). i mean, they're well-intentioned, and I like them as people, but...it is what it is, I guess.

Thanks.

Hey you know what...love to be a rocket engineer...but I do lawns (good money)...carpentry...fix things....you know...stuff.

I mean, let’s get real...the odds of me keeping a regular job? I’m pushing it now almost 2 years on a steady job with rent and car payments.

The stress and pressure of succeeding for a company...no thanks. I’d rather pick up trash and be casual about it. Stress is for the yahoos. My entirety says don’t set yourself up for a crash...but maintain.

Or buy Powerball tickets daily.

Somebody has to win. I pick me.

[cashart10]

I did it. Well...I became stable at the end of ‘06, got a job, became really manic, started behaving idiosyncratic and outlandish at work, and lost my job. 😳. But, then, I became stable again in April of last year and have maintained my stability ever since. I went back to work as an instructional assistant in a special needs class at an elementary school part time last Sept. Then, in Dec, I became full time. And now, I am headed back to school to complete my degree and start teaching. It is possible! I just think with the right team of professionals, the right meds, and an established support system (if you are fortunate enough to have them like me), maintained stability can be a reality.

Good luck to you in whatever you decide. Keep us posted!

[SparkySmart]

First, congratulations on your recovery! That's really cool. It's possible to survive a mental crisis and then have a life. There wouldn't be much point in taking all these meds if the only reward was filling out mood charts. My doctor seems to encourage inactivity ("you're too disabled"). Oh please; I'll decide that for myself, thank you.

Anyway, technical schools are practically free for everyone (not just the disabled). Most offer a broad array of specialties (from culinary to auto repair to nursing to business management, and more) and offer job placement services to boot. Just go wander into your local tech college and take a stack of program brochures. You can't help but be inspired. Something will light your fire and open doors of opportunity. Can't figure out right away what you want to be? Just take some core classes and find your groove.

Moving or not moving? Well, it depends on whether you want to move. I'm restless by nature and love to move, but getting/keeping a job may not involve moving. Probably your choice.

If you're healthy, stable, and have an IQ, the sky's the limit.

I'm not saying that mental health doesn't require attention, but no more than, say, heart health, nutrition, and wearing glasses. It's all about balance.

[SparkySmart]

Oh...I wanted to add this: I think that, when we're young, we think that the way we earn our living has to be significant...you know, meaningful, passionate, world-changing. These things are all great if you can get them, but sometimes a job is just a job. That's okay, too. Even "just a job" can be character-building and not so stressful, it puts structure into your life, and it keeps your social skills intact, not to mention a paycheck. Win-win.

[pirilin]

Keeping you stable is not good biz for shrink or councelor. They'll lose money.
They just want to keep you going thru the motions.
It's good to hear that you have aspirations and maybe plans for the future.
Good food for the soul. Being productive is a priviledge I took for granted until my big depression.

I'm back I think. Starting a new biz and all. At least, I've spent a ton of $ in merchandise.
I'm also registering in shows and exhibitions. Moving my Azz I call it.
The money is secondary for me at this point. But will come handy to pay for the goods.
GO FOR IT!!!. Good luck.

[Unrigged64072835]

Trades are hurting for new people. It would be a very lucrative thing indeed.

[still_crazy]

thanks. its like this...

i get tired of the "mental patient" stuff. I think it really depends on where one lives, and the specifics of one's situation. in my situation, i get treated OK, because I have my "good family" solidly behind me. that's great for me and all, and I do love my parents, but...

a quick look across the waiting room at the clinic shows what many of the patients go thru...this is in the more "enlightened" (cough) 21st century. ugh.

disability is a huge blessing, but I'm fully aware that--in my situation--I wouldn't be on disability if it wasn't for my now "well-to-do" parents. Again, it depends on where one lives and such, but here where I live..."mental patients" end up homeless, in abject poverty, drugged to the gills on court orders, etc. I"m something of an exception to the rule, and I'd like to get out of the clinic and into a normal-ish life, sometime soon(ish).

[downandlonely]

If you keep taking meds and taking care of yourself, it's definitely possible to hold down a job. I work full-time. Sometimes it's hard to find the energy, but the meds definitely help.

Going to a tech college is a great idea. Just a word of advice: go to a public college, not a private one like ITT Tech or the University of Phoenix. The "for-profit" ones charge you a lot of money and often aren't accredited so the degree you get is worthless. If you go to a public community college, it won't cost that much and will prepare you for a job.

[Tucson]

I am thinking of doing the same thing now. I am not happy at all on disability. Miserable. I want to have a job tomorrow. It would have to start off part time, both for adjusting to a schedule, and to not give up my disability until I am ready to do this.

I have been looking for a job related to my previous field of work, but I am overqualified for all that I have been applying for. So no job at Geek Squad. So I have been investigating tech schools in order to become certified in areas related to the jobs that I am interested in. I may be twenty yrears out of date, but a certificate(s) would prove that I am aware of current technologies. So I think this is one approach to consider. I will not to go for the degree, but instead get the certificate.

For the time being, I am thinking of volunteering on a regular schredule. This can help ne be more prepared. If I really need the money, I may have to get some part time job in retail. I will not work for McDonalds! I will never let my daughter see me in one of those uniforms with a cap on my head!

So I think the OP should consider a certification at a public tech school. A part time job can help with school expenses, perhaps in retail. At the very least, volunteer somewhere on a regukar basis.

[yellow_fleurs]

Trade school sounds like a great idea! Even working part-time or finding something flexible might be a good start if you are not ready for full time. I have a job interview on the phone today and am really nervous! It hasn't been long since I worked, and I just graduated from grad school a month ago, but it makes me nervous considering where my mental state has been. Originally I was thinking of taking a 2 year fellowship and moving across the country, but just don't feel like I can handle that mentally right now so am compromising. Rambling about myself right now haha, but my point is if you can do what you can manage, you might find it is a good thing for you. I find that having a structure like that and a sense of purpose can really help my mental health, although of course I need to be doing somewhat decently to start. If I were doing how I was last month I couldn't handle it. Good luck!!

Originally Posted by downandlonely

Going to a tech college is a great idea. Just a word of advice: go to a public college, not a private one like ITT Tech or the University of Phoenix. The "for-profit" ones charge you a lot of money and often aren't accredited so the degree you get is worthless. If you go to a public community college, it won't cost that much and will prepare you for a job.

Very good point. The for-profit ones are notoriously problematic. They charge out the wazoo for a worthless degree pretty well for the sole purpose of making money. Many, many, many have found themselves up to their eyeballs in debt and no way to pay their way out from under. Don't be taken in with their sales pitch.

Community college is a much better option.

[still_crazy]

me, yet again. id love to work. thing is...im up against...late stage capitalism, lol. not that im a marxist, just...wow. its rough out there, isn't it? just trying to be realistic...

on the plus side, there's some growth in skilled blue collar jobs in my area. by some miracle, there's even a union or two (unheard of, until recently...).

im hoping that I can get off disability. I appreciate what's left of the safety net, but...OK, one can only stay on disability if one stays sick. I'd really like to become genuinely well...not sick, but tranquilized.

but disability has been a godsend, absolutely. beats a group home or what's left of the state hospital, definitely.

[Charixma]

Hey there,

I'm currently in the process of recovering from my mental health crisis which has been an absolutely devastating process. It's the first time my mental health truly and totally failed in such a spectacular way. 8 hospitalizations later, I've had to move back home with family, re-evaluate my life and have begun the slow process of recovery.

This past week I've had 4 job interviews (one was a second interview and they hired me on the spot!), two more higher paying job interviews to go and I have a wonderful "cutie pie" that I'm dating that also lives with bipolar disorder. I'm with my family again, I see my wonderful grandpa everyday and (although I'm literally watched like a freaking hawk) I'm on the road to recovery.

It's possible. I'm working on it. You can do it too.