not being able to work full time

I have schizophrenia, and am trying to find my way with what it means for my life. it seems like i am not able to work full time or do college full time because of the symptoms i get when i get stressed. am i the only one who experiences this, or am i just being lazy? i don't think i am... my schizo has made it so i cant travel or fund-raise at our church.

am i being lazy or is this normal for people with schizophrenia (or other mental illnesses)?

thx,
Josh

We have Schizoaffective and a dissociative disorder and we can't work at all and can only do one class at a time for school. It's not just you and we don't consider it lazy. We get too stressed if we try to do more than that. we tried to do two classes this semester and ended up having to withdraw from one of them. It was too much.

Diagnoses:
PTSD with Dissociative Symptoms, Borderline Personality Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Fibromyalgia and Chronic Pain

thx for understanding!

Good post. I also do not consider that this is ''lazy''. Thanks to the OP also.

Running, it was difficult for me as well. But as I found the right meds, with continual dr appointments, and a good male psychologist who can help with male problems, I got a lot better. I can work full time, and I write stories, I have a blog with many posts, I read books. It's not so bad now. But it took years to recover. I still have psychotic slips but that's it.

thanks job! i really dont think i could work full time or do full time college right now. itd be too much. and i dont want to end up hurting myself either. maybe ill get better and be more able in the future though

was there a time when you couldnt do those things?

There were times. I had a year long psychosis in school, and I shouldn't have been there. Also it took me years to recover, I'd say 2 years. I worked but it was hell. I should have gotten disability, but I did get Medicaid and it saved me. It took a lot o fight out of me, and I lost parts of my soul. But this is as good as it gets for me right now. It took me awhile to accept the bad but it is what it is. As long as I can write. That's all the matters.

ok, thx for replying. right now im almost 26 and still live with my mother. i feel like a big loser. ive had schizo since i was 14. i think i could work part time if the job wasnt stressful. im on disability right now, but you cant really support yourself on it. have you had the same thoughts or experiences? sometime i really wish i was normal...

Everybody's schizophrenia is different. Most people have a decline, my cognition remains intact but my emotions have declined to the point where I mostly feel negative emotions. I lived with my mom for a year and a half, id' still be with her if she didn't have to move to florida. I went through delusions, trauma, panic attacks, anxiety, acute depression, bipolar mood swings, akathasia. anhedonia, most of the time, these things overlap on each other as they do now. If you need to live with your mother that's fine. I love my mom and I loved living with her. We understood each other and cared.

I'm glad that you have disability. I understand feeling about feeling like a loser because that was my biggest fear in life, so I started to write stories and perfect my craft. I still have a ways to go, but I'm improving. I'm on my 4th story now. and I'm feeling good about it. I also have a blog where I share my reflections and art.

Is there a way for you to help others some how? I do it through ideas mostly but others do it through religion, art, love, or truth. Maybe work part time in a nursing home talking it up with the elderly, helping them out. Some way that helps you stay connected, grounded to reality, often it's through social cohesion in some manner. I write stories to share with others.

I’m almost 26 and can’t work full time. Was diagnosed with Schozoaffective/bipolar when I was 18 and have been on SSI ever since. I’m just now getting to the point where I may be ready to try working part time but I’m going to do that through a supportive employment program so it’s a smoother transition and less stressful for me. You’re definitely not alone!

thx for replying blue bird!

i dont think i could work full time. but probably part time if the job wasnt too stressful. i dont want to be lazy and use my illness as a crutch.. on the other hand i have limits most people dont have because of my mind. trying to find my way with all this...

I can't work full time either. I take seasonal jobs and work about 20-30 hours a week, take a few months for a break, and start up again if I can. If I go through a season I can't work, no big deal, I'll just wait it out and go back when I can. It's a difficult disorder in regards to working (in addition to, well, everything). By no means are you lazy, you are dealing with a serious mental illness that disables many who have it.

thx for replying spikes! its very easy to beat myself up and think just lazy, but that isnt the case. i have a serious mental illness that makes me have boundaries most people dont have..

hope you dont mind me asking spikes but how do you support yourself if you arent working full time? you cant really support yourself with ssi or ssd alone..

I was able to do college full time. But have a harder time working full time. I kind of want to try again but than again I'm doing well part time and with ssd. Why wreak a good thing.

Have you considered partial disability or disability? It isnt an easy process but I heard that with everything that is going on the usual rejections/appeals may not be as much of an issue now with the current state of things in the US> You can work and still receive disability. Do you have doctors and other care workers who would be willing to help you fill out the paperwork? If you do go this route and need suggestions 0r advice about it feel free to PM me.

Hi, Running E

I've been in your situation and TBH I still am, within your experience of schizophrenia it is very commonplace, as its not even understood what it even is, ( sometimes I think I am on Remote and live streamed with a mobb hazing me too shreds behind my back)

We all live like this, I've had brief moments of trying to work part time ( I got workplace mobbed) though you may have an postive e4xperince than me as I am being covertly Gang Stalked.

Your not lazy dealing with 'voices' properly 24/7 at times, as they can have marathons at times.

So, if you consider that some people kill themselfs over a smart phone abuse or Instagram, they would not be able to handle the pile-up, at its most brutal.

So if you consider this its easyer to let it go,

P.S like the phrase, here is a link to some good tunes

I currently go to graduate school and work some, but it's taken a lot of effort and trial and error with meds to get to this point. I am hoping to be able to hold a full-time job when I graduate from grad school.

Oh, and also, don't beat yourself up for having an illness. It is an illness. It's not your fault.

Thank You for this, I hope you get your life back on track as you have your whole life ahead of you,

P.S did you check out the music link as it's really good!