Mental illness and work
Some questions for those of you who have a job and been working for a while, while dealing with some sort of mental health issues :
How do you find the strength and motivation and endurance to go to work everyday ?
Do you ever feel like you can't do this anymore ?
Do you ever have to really push yourself and just go cause you have no choice, or is working like second nature to you so that whatever happens you can just go to work mechanically ?
In your bad days, do you allow your performance at work to be affected by your mental state ? Or do you keep that from happening from happening no matter what, even if it costs you a burnout ?
Do you let your bosses know about your issues ?
Do you expect them to lower their standards on your bad days, be understanding of what you're going through, or do you consider it your own problem/responsibility to provide the quality of work that you were hired to produced and engaged yourself to produce ?
If you were a boss, what would be your approach with those things ?
Would you feel compelled to support your employees when they need it or would you be unforgiving and expect to get what you're paying for at all times ?
Would you hire a person to begin with if you're aware of such issues they may have and how it could affect your business ?
Do you think it's dishonest not to be transparent about such issues when someone applies for a job ?
For more context, feel free to write about what job you have or you've had, what mental issues you're dealing with, how long it has been, ... etc
How do you find the strength and motivation and endurance to go to work everyday ?
Do you ever feel like you can't do this anymore ?
Do you ever have to really push yourself and just go cause you have no choice, or is working like second nature to you so that whatever happens you can just go to work mechanically ?
In your bad days, do you allow your performance at work to be affected by your mental state ? Or do you keep that from happening from happening no matter what, even if it costs you a burnout ?
Do you let your bosses know about your issues ?
Do you expect them to lower their standards on your bad days, be understanding of what you're going through, or do you consider it your own problem/responsibility to provide the quality of work that you were hired to produced and engaged yourself to produce ?
If you were a boss, what would be your approach with those things ?
Would you feel compelled to support your employees when they need it or would you be unforgiving and expect to get what you're paying for at all times ?
Would you hire a person to begin with if you're aware of such issues they may have and how it could affect your business ?
Do you think it's dishonest not to be transparent about such issues when someone applies for a job ?
For more context, feel free to write about what job you have or you've had, what mental issues you're dealing with, how long it has been, ... etc
Comments59
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
I am a bipolar personality*, and every so often I'm totally down and would rather do nothing, and would rather die. Not that my life makes very much sense in the first place.
*I no longer call it a disorder though. It's who I am. Period
I know that most probably someday, when the meds no longer cut it, I'm going to snap and kill myself. I'm actually prepared for this. So fucking what!
*I no longer call it a disorder though. It's who I am. Period
How do you find the strength and motivation and endurance to go to work everyday ?I know my depression has been much worse when I didn't have a job. I was incredibly lucky that someone got me an internship that eventually became an employment.
Do you ever feel like you can't do this anymore ?Yes, recently the pressure has increased, and I started to fear that by the end of 2017 I was going to crash.
Do you ever have to really push yourself and just go cause you have no choice, or is working like second nature to you so that whatever happens you can just go to work mechanically ?When I'm in a low, getting up is a hard struggle every day. But I only call in sick when I can honestly say that I'm physically sick.
In your bad days, do you allow your performance at work to be affected by your mental state ?There have been days when I was sitting at my desk, asking myself "What have I been doing the last few hours? Apparently, blankly staring at some emails."
Do you let your bosses know about your issues ?I felt compelled to tell them that I was probably heading into a burnout, and they said it was okay to delegate some tasks to my colleagues when I felt it was too much to handle. I'm so thankful for them!
or do you consider it your own problem/responsibility to provide the quality of work that you were hired to produced and engaged yourself to produce ?I feel bad for not performing as I should. But they accept it.
If you were a boss, what would be your approach with those things ?I could never handle being a boss
Would you hire a person to begin with if you're aware of such issues they may have and how it could affect your business ?Dunno, probably not
Do you think it's dishonest not to be transparent about such issues when someone applies for a job ?I think it would be stupid to disclose ones issues when applying. One is allowed by law to lie when a potential employer asks questions about health issues. I couldn't take a job based on a lie though.
I know that most probably someday, when the meds no longer cut it, I'm going to snap and kill myself. I'm actually prepared for this. So fucking what!
hear my sound then
What ?
im sorry its true i take mendince
I don't have a job right now but I can answer from when I did. I haven't had many jobs yet because I'm still in school. I'll answer from the time when I worked at a supermarket for 3 weeks and where I had to wear a shirt that said "Ask me anything and I'll gladly answer" on the back. That was a nightmare since I had severe social anxiety at the time.
How do you find the strength and motivation and endurance to go to work everyday ?
I told myself every morning that if I can endure 5 minutes, I can endure 10, and if I can endure 10, I can endure an hour, and if I can endure an hour I can endure the entire day.
Do you ever feel like you can't do this anymore ?
I felt like that every morning I woke up.
Do you ever have to really push yourself and just go cause you have no choice, or is working like second nature to you so that whatever happens you can just go to work mechanically?
I had to push myself every day, but maybe it would have become a routine if I worked there longer. It didn't seem to get better the three weeks I wroked there though.
In your bad days, do you allow your performance at work to be affected by your mental state ? Or do you keep that from happening from happening no matter what, even if it costs you a burnout ?
I tried my best to hide my anxiety, but sometimes I couldn't hide my panic attacks. When that happened I'd hide in the bathroom for a short time to try to cool down, and if that didn't work I'd force myself to continue to work even if I was shaking or hyperventilating.
Do you let your bosses know about your issues ?
I think they noticed something was wrong with me, but I tried to keep it to myself. I don't believe people are kind or understanding, and I really wanted to be able to do an equally good job as people without mental health issues.
Do you expect them to lower their standards on your bad days, be understanding of what you're going through, or do you consider it your own problem/responsibility to provide the quality of work that you were hired to produced and engaged yourself to produce ?
I really believed I could do just as well as anyone else when I started working there because I wanted to see myself as a normal functioning person, but that experience showed me that my anxiety makes it more difficult for me to work at places like supermarkets than for people without anxiety. If I'd worked there for a long time I'd probably eventually break down. I think if I worked for a long time at a similar job, I'd have to lower my standars if I didn't want to break down.
If you were a boss, what would be your approach with those things ?
I don't know.
Would you feel compelled to support your employees when they need it or would you be unforgiving and expect to get what you're paying for at all times ?
It depends on the situation.
Would you hire a person to begin with if you're aware of such issues they may have and how it could affect your business ?
It depends on the illness and how much it would affect my business.
Do you think it's dishonest not to be transparent about such issues when someone applies for a job ?
Yes.
How do you find the strength and motivation and endurance to go to work everyday ?
I told myself every morning that if I can endure 5 minutes, I can endure 10, and if I can endure 10, I can endure an hour, and if I can endure an hour I can endure the entire day.
Do you ever feel like you can't do this anymore ?
I felt like that every morning I woke up.
Do you ever have to really push yourself and just go cause you have no choice, or is working like second nature to you so that whatever happens you can just go to work mechanically?
I had to push myself every day, but maybe it would have become a routine if I worked there longer. It didn't seem to get better the three weeks I wroked there though.
In your bad days, do you allow your performance at work to be affected by your mental state ? Or do you keep that from happening from happening no matter what, even if it costs you a burnout ?
I tried my best to hide my anxiety, but sometimes I couldn't hide my panic attacks. When that happened I'd hide in the bathroom for a short time to try to cool down, and if that didn't work I'd force myself to continue to work even if I was shaking or hyperventilating.
Do you let your bosses know about your issues ?
I think they noticed something was wrong with me, but I tried to keep it to myself. I don't believe people are kind or understanding, and I really wanted to be able to do an equally good job as people without mental health issues.
Do you expect them to lower their standards on your bad days, be understanding of what you're going through, or do you consider it your own problem/responsibility to provide the quality of work that you were hired to produced and engaged yourself to produce ?
I really believed I could do just as well as anyone else when I started working there because I wanted to see myself as a normal functioning person, but that experience showed me that my anxiety makes it more difficult for me to work at places like supermarkets than for people without anxiety. If I'd worked there for a long time I'd probably eventually break down. I think if I worked for a long time at a similar job, I'd have to lower my standars if I didn't want to break down.
If you were a boss, what would be your approach with those things ?
I don't know.
Would you feel compelled to support your employees when they need it or would you be unforgiving and expect to get what you're paying for at all times ?
It depends on the situation.
Would you hire a person to begin with if you're aware of such issues they may have and how it could affect your business ?
It depends on the illness and how much it would affect my business.
Do you think it's dishonest not to be transparent about such issues when someone applies for a job ?
Yes.
Finally looking for a proper job now because my mental illness isn't as debilitating as it once was. Essentially I'd say that most people who are severely mentally ill do not have jobs to begin with (this is the case for friends of mine as well) since a lot of us can't even go outside.
Fear of not having money to get by and shame of unemployment keep me going. I'm barely hanging on at my job and with two people quitting recently without anyone new being hired, our work has doubled. Not to mention constantly getting talked down to by doctors who think all administrators are idiots. I keep wondering why I studied 4 years for a degree just to serve doctors' whims lol.
I don't expect anyone to give me any allowances and I prefer they don't know, but recently my boss confronted me about "not smiling or showing enthusiasm anymore" and it really annoyed me. I'm getting work done,why do I have to pretend I'm happy about the extra work and the lack of esteem? I feel like as long as I get the work done, i shouldn't have to put on a fake smile /: I'm not in a patient fronting job after all..
(I work in a hospital organizing events, doing philanthropy related activities, corporate writing etc all under the umbrella of academic medicine.
Been having the normal blues for about 13 years now; the only reason I haven't gotten professional help for a while is cause of money issues. The free sessions require signing up with the institute of mental health - the official mental institute in my country - and I don't want to do it cause I hope to work in gov/national security in the future. Don't know how open they are to hiring people with diagnosed depression >< )
I don't expect anyone to give me any allowances and I prefer they don't know, but recently my boss confronted me about "not smiling or showing enthusiasm anymore" and it really annoyed me. I'm getting work done,why do I have to pretend I'm happy about the extra work and the lack of esteem? I feel like as long as I get the work done, i shouldn't have to put on a fake smile /: I'm not in a patient fronting job after all..
(I work in a hospital organizing events, doing philanthropy related activities, corporate writing etc all under the umbrella of academic medicine.
Been having the normal blues for about 13 years now; the only reason I haven't gotten professional help for a while is cause of money issues. The free sessions require signing up with the institute of mental health - the official mental institute in my country - and I don't want to do it cause I hope to work in gov/national security in the future. Don't know how open they are to hiring people with diagnosed depression >< )
I haven't commented or participated much yet. I just want to say your posts like this one are nice to see. A nice change from the repeats. This post is really good. Although it will probably turn into a dramafest.
To clarify to some people, not everyone has some type of mental illness. I don't thank goodness! I have friends who do. Normal sadness from loss or whatever is not depression. Nervous about doing something you haven't done before isn't anxiety. So...no everyone doesn't have some form of mental illness. I believe there is a criteria that has to be met to officially diagnose a mental illness.
To clarify to some people, not everyone has some type of mental illness. I don't thank goodness! I have friends who do. Normal sadness from loss or whatever is not depression. Nervous about doing something you haven't done before isn't anxiety. So...no everyone doesn't have some form of mental illness. I believe there is a criteria that has to be met to officially diagnose a mental illness.
I'm glad you like my thread.
>tfw you're literally incapable of working
You can't?
I can for a little bit but eventually i go into a meltdown and am unable to function. Most amount of work i've been able to do was 2 weeks. After one week I was beginning to be unable to understand and recognise commands. Its just too much for me, and I have to be told what to do constantly. I can't assume what I should be doing. I'd be better off working in a factory, honestly.
Sorry to hear that. I hope something will work out for you some day. My friend with bipolar has had to take short-term leave about 3 times in the past 5 years. She was fired after the first 2. She also has a hard time keeping a job. She hates taking the meds, but she functions so much better when she does.
Comment Flagged as Spam
The popular thing? That's not true. People can't control having a mental illness, and the statistics are rising.
If you're looking at HWL then yeah they do talk about it. Nothing wrong with reaching out to others.
If you're looking at HWL then yeah they do talk about it. Nothing wrong with reaching out to others.
Comment Flagged as Spam
Wouldn't flashbacks be considered PTSD? Also panic attacks?
Comment Flagged as Spam
Well I can understand getting annoyed if someone says you have to care like it's the law or something. Some people are really uncomfortable about it I think.
So you don't think this Melian thingy of yours is mental illness ? xD
What's a Melian?
Comment Flagged as Spam
You're mistgod also? I'm confused.
Comment Flagged as Spam
View all replies