Working While Mentally Ill

I recently had a conversation with a friend of mine, about working while mentally ill. She said, "Let's say you start babbling at work. Let's say it goes on for three hours. What is that employer going to think of you? How are they going to treat you? And what if it happens a second time? A third? Do you really think they are going to keep you? So you give up your SSDI to return to work on a part-time basis, and then your employer fires you because you can't work. What exactly have you accomplished by forcing yourself to go to work?"

On the other hand, I know two bipolar people (not schizoaffective like me) who take a ton of drugs and work full-time. Neither of them is on SSDI. I don't know if they have a lightweight version of their illness, or if they're just more motivated than me. There are days, many of them, when I "zone out" for hours at a time because of all the noise in my head. No employer is going to tolerate that in an employee. This same friend said, "Even if you go freelance and work at your own pace, every employer out there is going to give you deadlines. If you miss deadlines, they aren't going to recommend you to others, and they won't employ you any more. Again, what do you accomplish by doing this?"

Her viewpoint sums up my take on working while mentally ill. If your symptoms are too strong, it's better you don't work than you fail yourself and your employer by returning to work when you are not able. That is, if you can find work, given the stigma around mental illness.

Anyone out there work while mentally ill? Part-time, or full time? Tried it and failed? Success stories? What sort of employers allow the mentally ill to work for them? Spill!

I used to work alone over night. No one was around to make me sick. But after I lost my work, I tried but couldn't find a job I could do in isolation anymore. I guess I could have gone back to driving a taxi but it seemed like a very dangerous job, much more dangerous than it was 35 or so years ago.

I used to work at a Six flags as a ride operator but my illness got in the way and I got fired just before I was hospitalized. I've been unemployed since August but looking for work. Haven't had any luck but I don't want to go on disability quite yet.

I work for the national health service in the uk. I must say they have been very supportive of me and my condition. I recently returned to work after I was offered a six month sabbatical. I'm not sure if it's the new meds or its returning back to work but I feel really good and I think having a job gives me motivation to actually get up out of bed and get on with my day. Maybe it's a mix of both (meds & work). Also surviving on hardly any money has made me very good at saving money now lol

I used to work as a receptionist. It was hard, very very hard because it was in social environment and I would come home totally drained and sleep for the rest of the day. This was part time, I'd only work til lunchtime. I stopped working there because my boss would put me in situations that I really struggled with because of my illness. I literally fall apart with any kind of stress, and I had a nasty customer on the phone being very rude and I came off the phone shaking and struggling not to cry, got home and started sobbing. It just didn't work out, I couldn't handle the stress that comes with working and the social aspect was very difficult for me too.

I used to be a web developer, doing web site design, information architecture, and the HTML/CSS/Javascript development side of things. I didn't make a fortune, but I had a tidy little income. Does anyone think it's better to be on disability, which is very small, rather than work for a living? Anyone who thinks that is the really crazy one. When I got sick I couldn't work, ran out of money, and became homeless. I didn't know the system, had no advocate, and ended up on the streets, where I nearly died of the elements. I don't romanticize working for a living, and God knows I don't romanticize being mentally ill and on disability. It seems that for the mentally ill there is no happy ending. You lose your good income and live on a pittance, and every day all day you suffer from your symptoms and society's stigma. Where is the win here? I once read a description of disabled people as "latte and limousine liberals." I think there are a lot of people who see it that way: disability is a giveaway program, and only parasites get SSDI. It sounds like most disabled people who actually try working have a hard time of it. It's rough trying to work when your head is full of voices and delusions...

I have tried working many different jobs and college. I have struggled through all of it. I have finally started pursuing disability because I cannot do this rollercoaster anymore. I was homeless once too due to my mental state and not being able to work.

I went on job interviews after I lost my long-time work. I got a job at a place I loved, but I couldn't make it work because of the constant triggering of my mental illness. I was so upset having to quit there. I loved it there and all my life I wanted a job like that. (At a publisher's HQ.)

Other than that I also went on more interviews, but I couldn't manage the high social content of the work (one relied on heavy social exposure trying to sell ads). And others. I really regret I couldn't make anything work.

I tried to work before I was on the appropriate prescription drugs and it was hell on earth. Low wage, also relatively low stress, at least in the beginning. Then, I got fewer shifts and would get called to cover other peoples' shifts. Once, a co-worker even told me I wasn't on the schedule for a given day when, really, I was. I almost got fired.

I worked on the psych drugs, but the stigma caught up with me. Remaining symptoms, plus stigma=not gonna happen. I now get disability. Its not ideal, but it makes my life 100x better.

At this point, even if I wanted to work, I wouldn't get a job. I live near my family for obvious reasons, which is a huge blessing. The downside is that I'm labeled a "mental patient" in small town, red-state area. I think disability is good for a lot of people like me, because even with medication(s), people won't hire us, and/or they'll fire us at the drop of a hat.

Hi neodoering. I worked as a web developer for almost 2 years before my office was closed down, and I'm looking for work again. It's hard to explain the breaks between jobs (I usually just say I stayed home with my kids), but my symptoms are pretty well managed by the two meds I'm on.

Hello, hexacoda. I really enjoyed doing web development, but I did it for years, and that route seems done. I have a BA in English/creative writing, and an MA in anthropology, so I have skills, but my illness doesn't really allow me to work in any coherent way. I do a few hours a day of useful activities, and the rest of the day I fight my symptoms. Mental illness is like anything else: if you're determined, you can squeeze a little lemonade out of a bag of lemons.

I write short stories about mental illness, but people don't seem interested in reading about it. It's funny, because editors at magazines always say they are interested in hearing from the disabled, but when they say that they mean soldiers who lost an arm or leg in the wars. Mental illness is off limits. I read an interesting comment by someone who said people aren't afraid of physical disabilities, because they see these people getting fitted for prosthetics and getting back to life. But with mental illness, your life falls apart, and you may never get it back again. There is always that fear, not too far in the back of their mind, that they too may one day come down with mental illness and lose everything. So they don't want to hear about it, for fear of making it happen to themselves...

Recently I went on lithium, which has done a good job of managing the frequent manic spikes I experience. Still having trouble sleeping, but the rush of wild energy and discombobulated thoughts are now under control. The psychotic symptoms, unfortunately, still rage on, and it's hard to imagine going back to work. The symptoms can act up at any time, anywhere, and stress makes them worse. So for now I'm on disability, and it's been 11 years, so I don't hold out much hope for full recovery.

Thanks for writing, it's nice to hear from you!

I used to work full time now the Dr and the social worker told me that I will only work part-time. I am now on disability and my goal is to try to make it to the maximum pay per month allowed.

I'm a graduate student, and I am barely managing to hold on through the help of disability accomodations. I had to quit my part time job because I got ill too often. I often wonder whether or not I'm going to succeed in academia if I continue to be this ill. I'm praying for remission.

An update. I volunteer at the public library for a couple hours a week, and I was talking with a library aide. She told me that from time to time the library posts jobs as a library aide, for 19 hours a week. The job is not stressful, and the people are cool to work with.

I think I'm actually going to try this. I have good qualifications for the job, and even though it doesn't pay much, I'll put in for it and see what happens. I can't work 40 hours a week, no way, but I am willing to gamble 19 hours. At worst, the symptoms begin kicking up and I have to quit and fall back on disability. This whole idea is a shake of the dice, because I know for certain that working to deadlines causes my symptoms to flare. But the library might be a good bet.

I'll post again if I manage to get this job.

I worked a night time office cleaning job with my husband for quite a few years and he covered for me when I was hospitalized. During the difficult years there is no way I would have been able to keep another type of job.

I still work that job now and I do well with it because I am completely alone when I work. Since I've gotten stable on medications, I recently got another part time job which is merchandizing for a greeting card company. That job is slightly more stressful for me but it's only a few hours per week. Both jobs are flexible hours, so I can go in when I feel ready, and that is huge for me.

I don't think I could handle a full time job. Stress is a big trigger for me. I only cross my fingers that everything is going to stay stable. I want to be able to work.

Yes, me too. I worked over nights and it was wonderful + I was actually able to feel well because I was alone, mostly.

I worked most of my life being (what I now accept) as pretty decently Ill. Now that I know how bad my illness is I feel it's a barrier to working again so I'm kinda glad I never recognized how bad it was when I was younger. I do believe I will work again and I think being in contact with mental health professionals is sooooo important for me, even if I'm not symptomatic. Taking my meds and giving myself structure with compassion. I kinda wish I could go back to not knowing how bad it was....even though that sucked really bad too. But I can't and neither can anyone else reading this most likely so we need to learn to work around or with our illness somehow. (((Hugs)))

My ideal job is not glamorous .....it would be collecting money for bridge crossing. It's probably a career which will be obsolete soon but sitting in that little booth alone seems ideal. You don't have to talk much with people and don't have a boss sitting over your shoulder or coworkers attitudes to contend with.

I'm currently seeking a job, though in the past I have always had trouble at work due to mental illness. I'm considering going on SSDI, but I want to give it a few last tries before giving up.