Professionalism: Dropping Agony at the Door (BP)
If you're like me you balance school, work, and family life all within the realm of symptomatic mental illness. This sounds overwhelming because it is. Now, a mark of professionalism is being able to drop your personal troubles before entering your place of employment, to put on a smile, a laugh even, assume acceptable hygiene habits, timliness, productivity, courtesy and conversation. Seems easy enough, right? Well, maybe it used to be before medication, mood swings, rage, psychosis, paranoia, and delusions.
Many people express distaste for medication because even though it offers some relief, it is also highly imperfect and worse- often comes with a whole host of miserable side effects. (This hit me personally this month when my mood stabilizer made me...too stable. I was neurtal, no facial expression, monotone voice, completely flat. It cost me a promotion. They said I let things "weight down on me". Which is weird because I wasn't even upset at the time, just neutral. For some reason people think something is wrong with you when you're neutral. Anyway, I battled this by lowering my medication and found myself almost in prayer for a mania just so my animation would return.)
When we go through personal struggles it is highly likely, depending on the severity, that it will overflow into our work days. This is especially prominent when factoring in medication trials since we have no clue how this will affect our demeanor, our ability to sleep, or our cognition. It is true that some level of cross over is understandable and appropriate, but when does it become unacceptable? When does it warrant a sit down confrontation? Incessant questions and texts from concerned co-workers? When does your mental health begin to interfere with your career?
Harvard Health Publications reminds us:
"Mental health problems affect many employees — a fact that is usually overlooked because these disorders tend to be hidden at work. Researchers analyzing results from the U.S. National Comorbidity Survey, a nationally representative study of Americans ages 15 to 54, reported that 18% of those who were employed said they experienced symptoms of a mental health disorder in the previous month.
But the stigma attached to having a psychiatric disorder is such that employees may be reluctant to seek treatment — especially in the current economic climate — out of fear that they might jeopardize their jobs. At the same time, managers may want to help but aren't sure how to do so. And clinicians may find themselves in unfamiliar territory, simultaneously trying to treat a patient while providing advice about dealing with the illness at work.
As a result, mental health disorders often go unrecognized and untreated — not only damaging an individual's health and career, but also reducing productivity at work. Adequate treatment, on the other hand, can alleviate symptoms for the employee and improve job performance. But accomplishing these aims requires a shift in attitudes about the nature of mental disorders and the recognition that such a worthwhile achievement takes effort and time."
"What are the benefits of a job?
* A daily routine
.*The chance to learn new skills
*Financial security and independence.
*Health benefits
.*A sense of purpose
.*A way to help others
.*Social interaction
What are some roadblocks I might face?
*Frequent medical appointments
.*Absences from work.
*Medication side-effects
.*Difficulty communicating or interacting with others
.*Trouble concentrating
.*Problems following a particular schedule
.*Stigma, prejudice and discrimination
How do I overcome these challenges?
Know Your Rights:
Unfortunately, in our society mental illness carries a stigma that may lead to discrimination.
Many employers lack understanding about mental health issues and may have negative attitudes
about meeting the needs of people affected by mental illness in the work place. It is important to
know that you have rights. Federal laws protect individuals with disabilities against discrimination and unfair treatment at work.
Learn more from the National Alliance on Mental Health by viewing YOUR RIGHTS FACT SHEET."
Discuss:
Share your own road blocks when facing the work force with a mental health condition.
How did you cope with this struggle?
Are you employed currently?
Have you ever been treated unfairly or terminated by an employer because of your mental illness? How did you handle it?
Have you ever found yourself unable to work due to your symptoms? What happened?
Thanks for reading, love to you all.
Mental Illness and Employment: Your Rights, NAMI
Mental health problems in the workplace, Harvard Mental Health Letter
*Duplicate post: You will find this post in the Borderline Personality Disorder section of the forum as well as I felt the topic was important for both communities. Also applies to depression, anxiety, PTSD, schizophrenia, AD(H)D, ASD, ED etc.
I coped silently with my symptoms of severe anxiety, increasing homicidal fantasies and drug abuse at work for over 3 years. Then I had a nervous breakdown and wound up in the psych ward. So I quit working and sued them for workplace hostility and harassment. After that I had absolute panic attacks whenever I even thought of going to work anywhere, and was unable to set foot into another job ever since.
How heartbreaking! Unfortunately, you are one of many who find themselves unable to return to work. I hope you have been able to find some passion projects on the side to keep you well and busy. 
I had to quit a job because of anxiety, and at the beginning of any job I have horrible anxiety for the 1st month or more. I've been offered promotions multiple times but don't feel I can handle the pressure, though I know the job pretty well and even have been trying people for years now. I ask lots of questions and observe but I feel people think less of me for turning promotions down and working part time. I do not miss work, always on time too; however after some family issues I was doing very badly and couldn't work for two days and my boss would not cover for me, she said she has anxiety and works so so should i. It got bad and I had to ask my owner to come cover for me because no one else could. Very humbling. I've had bad experiences with people when they know I have a mental illness; so I have always tried to keep it secret. However it is hard to have friends and not be able to talk about what you struggle with on the daily, they ask why your not in school, or have a family, I feel less than and without direction. I don't want to go to school right now, all through high school I was suicidal and I'm sure college will be much harder. Plus I'm a perfectionist so assignments take me every waking hour, and if I get less than an A I'm freaking out.
@Compassion21
My heart goes out to you. This is me to a T. I too experience a great deal of anxiety during a training period. Mostly due to the forced socialization and the fact that I hate being micro-managed. Likewise, I have turned down promotions because it allowed me to stay in the background- even though I needed the money. Still true, I am an A+ student and was devastated when my GPA dropped from a 4.0 to a 3.8. Sounds ridiculous, doesn't it? But it's real, and the stress is there, and you are not alone. The best way to cope with this is to relinquish control and reprioritize, which obviously is way easier said than done. Letting go takes practice. What it has taught me is what matters. And if doing well matters to me, and it does, then I will sometimes push myself outside my comfort zone. On the flip side, I know when to pull back. Fall semester of last year I had to drop three online college courses because my mental health took a nose dive. I was fortunate in that it was done within a time frame that did not have academic consequences, but I was still disappointed.
My point is, there is wisdom in knowing our limitations and also pushing ourselves just a little bit beyond them. This is why they are called "growing pains". Do what is best for you and the rest will fall into place when you are ready.