I lost my job a few months ago as a result of an episode that landed me in the hospital. I've been living with my parents unemployed since. My mom tells me I need to find a new job or apply for disability. I don't know which I should do. How do you know if you're ready for full time work?

spikes, have you talked to your psychiatrist and/or therapist about this? They may have a reasonable recommendation. I'm on disability, and am currently not able to work. Sometimes I wish I could try part-time to guage what I could do.

[Wild Coyote]

I agree with BirdDancer. This is a good discussion to have with your treating professional(s) if you haven't.

I am disabled and none of my docs will recommend I work.


WC

[raspberrytorte]

I'm currently on disability. I knew it was time for me to apply when I did and it was during a major episode where I lost my job because of it.

[TheSeaCat]

I'm in the same boat you are. I lost the best job I ever had due to a similar episode. I live with my parents and understand the whole it's been several months and you seem to be halfway stable. My dad pressured me into applying for another job. I considered applying for disability, but decided to at least try one more job. If I feel like I'm starting to loose it I probably will try for disability. I'm at least going to give myself one more chance just to see.

The best way to know if you can handle working full time is to start out with a part time job and see if you can handle that. If that goes well, then seek full time. You can work part time on disability but I think being unemployed while you apply may strengthen your case.

After my attempt which put me into the hospital for nearly an entire month, I applied on my own (got copies of my medical records and used the diagnosis to apply) and was granted disability on my first attempt. Probably because I began working part time after one year (at that point, I could only handle part time)--I lost it after two years. I agree with their decision because after going to my doctors for my physical and mental issues, I had healed enough after two years to begin working (though I was also unsure how well I would handle it but I worked 47 hours last week with no problems ). Having disability for two years was what enabled me to take the time to pursue treatment and heal. I feel like I am a better employee now that I am treating my mental illness. It takes time to figure it out. I encourage you to apply for disability right away! You can do it! The worst that can happen is that they say "No"! and if they do then you can appeal. I agree with your parents....

[MickeyCheeky]

The only way to know for sure is to try a job (even a simple one) and see if you can handle it. If not, you can always apply for disability

[BipolaRNurse]

I've been on disability since 2015, and it was the best thing I could have done for myself. That's why I recommend applying for it right away---it takes a long time to get all the required paperwork in, and for Social Security to make a decision. You have to be out of work for at least six months to be eligible. I also wouldn't advise you to work part-time, as it will almost certainly cause you to be denied disability. If you find a job that you can handle, you can just tell SS you're dropping your case and that will be the end of it. There are no limits to the number of times you can apply, so if you're working and you find that you've made a mistake you can always try again.

Be aware that most people are denied the first time they apply. I got a disability attorney right away when I applied and I was approved within six months. Most of them take cases on a contingency basis, meaning they don't get paid until you win, and then their money comes out of your first check so you don't even have to think about it. You'll get pay dating back to when you were first eligible, which results in a nice big check. My first one was over $8,000...a nice chunk of change that enabled me to pay off some debts and enjoy a Caribbean cruise with my husband and sons.

Best of luck to you in whatever you decide to do.