Society is built around consistency. People who are the same every day, or only vary slightly.

There is no place for our wild swings. Yup they don't give a shit.

Sorry you are suffering at work Mage.

michael, you need some leverage..

the work place sucks and shit bosses with distorted ideas of power will abuse their position at the expense of anyone, especially those who are the weakest in their eyes..

and yes society is pretty self centered mostly and i have found it is difficult to get people, who love me, to learn my disorder, much less a boss.

i hope your boss lightens up and starts treating you better.

Of course they have absolutely no understanding for what it is like to be BP?
How the Hell WOULD they?

Sorry. Employers can often be the least sympathetic out of everybody.
Employers aren't too crazy about employees who may show up and under-perform.
Doing great when manic does not compensate for a later show of low performance.
Ha!!! Once the bastards see how WELL you can work some of the time, they look upon it as something you should be doing ALL of the time!!

Generally speaking, management isn't as interested in your welfare as much as it is in making as much profit as possible.

When you are under-performing, you are not contributing what they expect from their employees.

I don't know if there IS any way to get through to them in a way that will make them satisfied with your overall job performance.

I tell you one thing, though. If I had a manager degrading me, I'd start documenting it immediately. Exactly what he did, how he did it, when he did it, who else was present, everything.

Sometimes, one crappy little thing stops looking insignificant when it turns into an ongoing pattern.

When you feel you have enough 'evidence', I'd lodge a complaint against him. I assume you invoked the ADA? If so, that supposedly protects you from being ill-treated.

Be prepared for a fight, though. Business gets away with a lot of things that aren't strictly legal.

Good luck!!! An unpleasant, stressful work environment is dreadful!!! (((((Hugs)))))

Society is more unbalenced then we are, honestly, just in super denial. At least we know.

People have a hard time understanding for so many reasons. When people find out that I am bipolar, they act like if you don't walk on eggshells around me I might kill someone or myself. The lack of understanding is rediculous. Family, friends, co-workers. As though the very name bipolar changes who you are.

The fact that your boss uses anything, let alone this to degrade you is beyond wrong. Nothing makes that right, though I'm not sure how to go about make it better. Talk to a personnel rep, confront him? I know how difficult it can be to do simple things when depressed, the fact that it can effect work, sucks beyong beliefe. Being depressed often, made me suck at my work. Being manic, what boss doesn't love an energetic, seemingly tirless worker? It sucks that your boss can't do his job for you, is unfair. I wish I had something more possitive for you.

Society doesn't care about anything that doesn't personaly effect their lives, because it is hard to see beyond yourself. No matter who you are. It doesn't care because if no one makes a fuss about it, maybe it will go away. Society believes itself to be of perfect health, mental and physical, so those who are most deffinatly not, are not worth a damn. We have to keep pushing through, I guess.

I wish you the best of luck, and good health.

-Emily (aka defenderinfaiith)

(ps: sorry about spelling errors...still working on them)

Sorry you're going through a rough time sweetie..
I think employers are about production for the most part... even with a good boss it usually comes down to the bottom line...
No no one can understand it until they've walked the walk.. anymore then we could understand things out of our experience...
Big hug of comfort for you and a blessing..x

Management want high performing robots.

Trust me, if companies could replace every human worker with a robot they would like a shot.

Maybe you need more documentation of your wonderful productivity when manic so you can regularly prove to them that overall you are a great employee. Be your own PR team, nobody will do it for you. Maybe once a month have a chat with them about your monthly achievements and ask what they specially want you to focus on the next month.

Find out what they consider a bare minimum is and make sure you do that on your off days. Sometimes what we focus on is not the same priority that they want. Make sure all their basics are covered and leave the frills for good and manic days.

Society unfortunately doesn't understand or care. Employers can be the worst. One of my employers terminated me when they found out about me...after making me unload a truck. So yah, they don't care. My new boss has a BP daughter so he's forced to understand. If they are not affected by it, it's like they have no empathy toward us.

If I were you I would do what Carla suggested. Your boss should not be degrading you as you have a disability. His treatment of you contributes to your depression I'm sure. No good. Document that.

I see that people really do want to help, but they just don't know what to do or say. Sometimes this gets me angry, but at other times I just accept it. I've had many friends try to help, but they just say the wrong thing not knowing how my mind will interpret it.

@Timiarah2

Hahahahahahahahaha!!!!!! Classic!!!!!
I worked at WalMart and they were infamous for firing someone mid-shift -- as soon as they had completed some horrible, assigned task!!!!!
A couple of times, a newly-fired worker would go through the store, sweeping things off the shelves on their way out!!!! LOLOLOL!!!!

OMG Carla...it was Walmart! LOL. Called me on the loudspeaker after the truck was done and there was 3 supervisors waiting for me. K-mart did me in too for absences due to BP :-( Yeah they just don't care, and they don't understand how mental illness can affect productivity and attendance. It's unfortunate but what can we do?

I'm in a legal process with one of them, but don't know how effective that will be because of the "at will" thingy.

Michael, I had the best job in the world for someone that is BP. I worked there almost 7 years. I drove seniors, handicapped, or both for a city transit company. Those people were great, they gave me every reason to get up and function each day. To make a long story short my boss harassed me for 6 years 343 days! In this time I gained the respect and friendship of passengers and coworkers, just not my boss. I was fired 2 days after I gained custody of my second Grand daughter. OMG I WAS SOOOOO SAD!!!! This women is evil, oh myself and some of the other workers that worked for her could write a book! Anyone you talked to can't understand how she is still manager there!!!

@Timiarah2

Snicker!!!!! I had a feeling it might be WalMart!!!! Hahahahahaha!!!!
A particularly bad time was when they made a concerted effort to drive out all the long-time employees, as we were making the most money and they wanted to replace us with part timers (who would cost a lot less and have to wait 2 years to become eligible for benefits.)

A women who had been granted certain hours which allowed for her to be home when her kids got home from school had her schedule changed to hours that made that impossible.
When she tried to discuss it with management, she was told that 'she had a decision to make.'

They picked an EXCELLENT employee who worked the return bins -- an older man who needed new knees -- and they switched him to being a cart guy, a job he couldn't do. He had to quit.

They didn't want to let you go -- they would have to pay unemployment then. They did their best to force you to quit.

I was on the hit list. I was making $15.96/hour. That was almost what two new employees would cost them.

If it's WalMart you are dealing with legally, good luck. They'll spend $50,000 fighting you rather than pay you $5,000. They do NOT encourage people to take them to court.

And as to Kmart, I knew someone who worked there for a few years. They gave her 39 3/4 hours/wk, so that they could keep her as 'part-time.'

Yeah, MageMichael, it's horribly unfair to you, as an employee , but that treatment is all too common. I'm sorry that you are being treated the way you are. I hope against hope that things bet better for you in the workplace!! (((((Hugs)))))

Hey! Its a wall world love fest!!!
I understand that one.
I worked there too.
As far as Mage Michael, honey I applaud you for doing the best you can.
Unfortunately some employers don't understand the American's with Disabilities Act. You might want to mention that at work and maybe it might help. I hope that it isn't Walmart because they might fire you since they decide if you can "handle" the job!!!
You also don't mention age but that might be a help too.
They fired one guy back here for his age then he sued and won!!!!
Just a thought!!! hope it works out for the best for you!!!!
ttfn AnnieEm

i can't blame them for not understanding me because to be honest, i don't understand them.

I've also come to the same conclusion. The worst people are those who know us the best and the longest. Too bad. DS is my only trustworthy support.