[Rapidmc]

I have Bipolar and even though I’m still taking my medication I haven’t seen a psychiatrist in almost a year. I am now seeing that going unchecked for so long was not a good idea. I have really made a mess of my life especially work. My performance at work has been very poor and I might lose my job as a result. I am thinking about telling my boss what’s going on with me. I don’t know if it will help the situation but maybe it will. BTW, I go to see psychiatrist tomorrow.

[UpDownAround]

First stop should be HR after the pdoc visit so that you are talking about a very current diagnosis.

[liveforsummer]

Hmmm I think I would see the pdoc first, see if things can get back on track before telling HR. Just my thoughts

[Wild Coyote]

Originally Posted by liveforsummer

Hmmm I think I would see the pdoc first, see if things can get back on track before telling HR. Just my thoughts

^^^ I agree with liveforsummer. ^^^

I hope things get better for you right away!


WC

[Pookyl]

I agree with the others. With one proviso - if your work involves things like direct patient care or anything that impacts people.

Originally Posted by Rapidmc

I have Bipolar and even though I’m still taking my medication I haven’t seen a psychiatrist in almost a year. I am now seeing that going unchecked for so long was not a good idea. I have really made a mess of my life especially work. My performance at work has been very poor and I might lose my job as a result. I am thinking about telling my boss what’s going on with me. I don’t know if it will help the situation but maybe it will. BTW, I go to see psychiatrist tomorrow.

I'd say see your psych first and see if he/she agrees about you telling your boss

[~Christina]

See your Pdoc first.

Many people that disclose with employers wind up being written up for lame reasons and then fired a few months down the road for say being 4 mins late punching back in from lunch.

I personally would not take the risk unless I really felt I would be treated fairly.

Seeing a Pdoc and getting a treatment plan going and you will possibly perk back up and not need to disclose.

It’s a hard situation , I wish you luck.

[MJLouise]

Unless it’s a government job I would apologize to your boss and tell her you’ve been going through medical issues but it’s getting better and she should start seeing much better performance as you get better. If she asks for details says it’s very personal but maybe after your totally better you might talk about it. I think you need to say enough that they know there’s a reason behind your poor performance but not so much that they know it mental health. Seriously people are all about helping you if you have any other medical condition but mental health issues forget about it. There’s too much stigma.
Then just make sure you see your pdoc tomorrow and start the process of getting healthy. If you have any paid time off that might be a good idea while you starting or tweaking meds.

[Nammu]

I like MJ's response, cautious yet you give your boss something.

[TheSeaCat]

I've been in your shoes before, I would personally see the pdoc and wait to hear what they have to say.

One of my bosses overheard my doctor and I talking about my illness and everything changed after that moment, she made me disclose my illness to her, my secondary boss, and HR. Everything changed after that I was prone to panic attacks and anytime I would have one I would be pulled into her office and either sternly talked too about managing my illness better or told I had an outburst and to just go home for the day without pay. Things changed after everyone knew about my condition. I was also terminated for the most idiotic reason but to them they finally had the ammunition to get the 'crazy' out of the office.

I would strongly advice caution if you decide to tell your boss, my currently workplace knows I have anxiety and depression and that is all my boss needs to know about. I keep my Bipolar mostly in check; it's my anxiety that tends to snowball and overreact and caused most of my workplace problems.

I guess the best question I could ask you in this situation is do you trust your boss to let him/her know about your struggles, or do you think you will be retaliated against because you aren't the perceived definition of normal?

I wish you good luck with the pdoc and boss

[BeyondtheRainbow]

I found that admitting to having depression was much better than admitting to anything else. My last job I told them about the bipolar a year in because it was going to create an issue and I knew by then I could trust them totally. They took it in stride and worked hard to keep my job open while was trying to get back from medical leave for 8 months.

In contrast other jobs that knew treated me differently and 2 fired me for stupid made-up reasons or refused to say why they were firing me. They knew because vocational rehab was working with me in one case and I trusted the other place when I shouldn't have.

If you have to say anything, try to stick to depression. People relate to that so much better.

[Albatross2008]

I don't think disclosure is a good idea. As mentioned, it puts you under the microscope and can get you fired for made-up reasons later. It can also get you discriminated against and excluded if any of your co-workers know. Once they find out you have any kind of psychiatric or psychological issue, you're ripe for gaslighting and all kinds of ugly workplace politics. (In similar situations I've been outright made fun of and called "Fruit Loops" instead of my name. No suggestion I made was taken seriously, and nobody would socialize with me.) I'd just tell your boss you've been working through some personal issues, but you've got it sorted out now, and you'd like another chance to show that you can improve your performance.

[BastetsMuse]

Originally Posted by Rapidmc

I have Bipolar and even though I’m still taking my medication I haven’t seen a psychiatrist in almost a year. I am now seeing that going unchecked for so long was not a good idea. I have really made a mess of my life especially work. My performance at work has been very poor and I might lose my job as a result. I am thinking about telling my boss what’s going on with me. I don’t know if it will help the situation but maybe it will. BTW, I go to see psychiatrist tomorrow.

Have your psychiatrist back you up with a written note indicating what needs to be done at work for you to be productive. Assuming you're in the USA, there's FMLA where you can get time off and still keep your job. Check into this. It helped me for awhile.

Originally Posted by Pookyl

I agree with the others. With one proviso - if your work involves things like direct patient care or anything that impacts people.

pookyl and whispershadow both make good points. How is your discomfort effecting your work? Are your efforts effecting other people's work, clients or the reputation of the company? If so, do not feel bad (as I am sure there are workers out there that couldn't care less about all that) but get the support that you need for yourself. After consulting with your Pdoc, consider speaking with HR to ask if they can offer medical leave or another needed accommodation? Don't expect them to solve your problems, but I think you will find that they will do what they can for you (if you let them). Don't get upset, just make your adjustments quickly and they can't complain. Good Luck

[jaysmotogp]

I personally would not recommend telling your employer. Two reasons mainly,
1) They will see you differently. Its human nature. They will even though they don't mean to. If you are not an absolutely perfect employee after that, they will find a reason to terminate eventually.
2) Once a company knows you have a mental illness you change from being an asset to a liability. Its an insurance/legal situation.

Its known as "career suicide"

My boss happens to be one of my best friends and I still don't dare ever tell him or the company.
I have taken short instances of medical leave a few times though but:
1) I had vacation time stored up
2) In my state you can take up to 12 weeks a year for medical leave and have job protection
3) As well, employers here are not allowed to ask what specific medical condition you take leave for. Just as long as you have a valid Drs note. I believe that may be a federal mandate, not certain.

[Merlin]

I have told my supervisor, but will never disclose to my colleagues due to the stigma. I disclosed to my supervisor out of necessity and was lucky enough to get support. I was even referred to the employee and family support program. I had missed shifts, and the truth was the only reasonable explanation I could give. I do work in the health care field at a psychiatric hospital.

[MickeyCheeky]

((((Rapidmc)))) I'm sorry you're struggling. Before doing anything, I would go to your Pdoc first and get a proper diagnosis. You can even ask him for advice about the situation. After that, it will be your choice. I don't think you have to share too many details. What your boss needs to know is that you may have some struggles due to some medical conditions you have. But it's your choice to do that, what to share and how to share. I wish you good luck, let us know how it goes

[pirilin]

Deny everything.
Admit to nothing.
And make accusations.

Cheers.

[BipolaRNurse]

Don't do it. Nothing good ever comes from it, unless you have a really compassionate boss, and even then it's not a good idea because they can figure out other reasons to fire you. The Americans with Disabilities Act offers much less protection than we are led to believe. It didn't help me at all when I disclosed at work, and suddenly my managers were all up my arse about everything I was doing "wrong" (which didn't bother them before I shared my diagnosis). Then when I went out on medical LOA, they couldn't get rid of me fast enough...two days after I returned, I was fired.

And I wouldn't tell co-workers either. It's none of their business and you don't want them to gossip about you.

Good luck to you.

[Tryingtobehappy5]

I would never choose to admit it. They have no right to know the specific health problems you are dealing with unless you really require accomadations. Sounds like you are heading down a good path of getting things under control though so Im guessing you wont need that.

All that being said, I was sent involuntary to IP 3 months into my job and required a week off and only needed a Dr note but everyone here knows which Drs are psychiatrists so that outs me. Even without that though the police dragged me literally kicking and screaming into the hospital where I work and told my coworkers what was going on of course since thats their job. I did deny everything that night but it was all so obvious lol. And in the morning I told them everything so all of my insanity was written down for everyone to read So not only did the nurses and Drs see me like that, my coworkers would have admitted me and discharged me for that visit and the one after spending the night in the cells and then others would have double checked it as they do for every emergency visit. So my guess is at least 75% of my coworkers know without me saying a word but in reality all of them in my area probably know. And that was my most extreme episode too. Fun times lol

After getting back I felt like people were treating me more nicely? Maybe they thought I would become suicidal again if they werent? I dont know lol and thats not the way my brain works anyways but since then everything has gone back to normal. I am a good employee though, Im friendly, good at my job and work hard even when Im not stable. I also only have a term position but they are trying to keep me on so I am pretty sure it wouldnt be any different if I was permanent.

So I think telling them definitely has major potential to affect you poorly but its not necessarily how it would go.

How did your psychiatrist appt go?

[pjwilly]

My general experience is that HR folks protect the company at the expense of the employee. The HR folks aren't your therapist, safe haven, etc. At times, telling them something will come back to bite you. Sorry to be so negative, but don't confuse HR with a therapist.