[Dontfeellikeme]

How have people found going bacck to work while you have still got symptoms?

[Nicks_Nose]

That depends on the severity of the symptoms. If they are simply a few remnants of symptoms that are on the recovery part...it has not been a problem and it also depends on what the job is.

I work on my feet for many hours and have high pace walking. If i have a foot injury, I will stay home longer than if the health issue was a head cold.

When I worked at a call centre, and I had a head/sinus cold....it affected my work performance there much worse than it would affect me at this one, whereas, a foot injury would not have affected my work performance there at all, because I was sitting down all during my shifts. So it varies.

[Miswimmy1]

i am not sure about work, since i am only 15. but i have gone back to school (after being out for about 8 months, and i think for me, school IS work). I still have symtoms but they are being managed with medication and therapy. but they are not gone at all. and i have found it... diferent. Not bad, but not great either. i am much more aware than I was before, I am more careful. I am easing back in. It is nice to be back but at the same time, it is lonely. and frightening at times... because I know that now, I am not with my suport group, that I am in the "real world" again, so I moniter my behavior a LOT more. so overall, it is diferent. that is the best I can describe it. and i asume that it would be similar in a work environment

[SoupDragon]

I function much better at work than I do at home, so for me it helps my symptoms being at work. Soup

[missbelle]

Years ago I was in the psych hospital for major depression. I was in there about 13 days and I stayed home maybe two weeks after that. My pdoc insisted that I go back. I still had all the symptoms and would spend my lunch hour bawling, but I kept going back. In the morning I would say that I would stay till lunch...then when lunch came I said I would just stay till work ended. Every day I did that. My severe symptoms continued for months after, but I kept working. At nite I had so much imput that I would just collapse in front of the t.v. till bed. Then I was a single parent with my youngest still at home and still little like about 10 years old!. Very tough but it can be done as they say"one day or one hour at a time"

[Dontfeellikeme]

Thanks for your thoughts guys. I am a staff nurse. I work with people with dementia and challenging behaviours. I have been off sick most of this year. My sleep is very poor and I am still experiencing the voices. I'm terrified of being around people. This has happened every year since I qualified when I was 22. I have to return or I will be sacked.

[Perna]

I'm like missbelle; I haven't wanted to go to work but once I was there it was tolerable and I just kept being there. It can be harder for me symptomwise if I am not engaged in something else.

[cocoabeans]

Depending on you job, just focus on the tasks. Do the basics of conversation with your coworkers and customers.

Everyone has some symptoms of "mental illess" anyway.