Guy, I work as the web manager for a law enforcement agency. Sometimes my job is really demanding, but I do it well. The more demanding, the more I seem to get on track and feel useful.

As for letting people know about my BP... My family knows and some of my co-workers, most just knew something was wrong and asked politely. I had to tell my bosses because I was missing alot of work. They were very supportive though and continue to be. I'm very careful who I tell, and it's usually people that I know are compassionate.

I can't take the stress of work. I get to where I can't focus, I can't multitask, my memory is bad, I have a lot of anxiety. But every person is different, if you have a career in mind, why not try it and see what happens? You might be able to cope just fine. I personally think that if you are doing something you love to do it will be easier for you. The only people I have told other than my family and 2 closest friends is my bible study group. I just decided to tell them one day, but normally I don't tell people.

I'm thinking that a job as a complaints department would be awesome. Depending on my mood as to whether I cry with them, tell them my sad story, or maybe implant the problem in a certain part of their anatomy. Yeah I'm joking but because I don't have a job and part of it is due to these reasons at any given time you could get one of these responses from me.

are you able to collect diability??? That must be so difficult escpecially if you are the only one working

I work at a Suicide Prevention Hotline.

well, ok, no I don't.

17 years as a Professional Librarian..books are very forgiving and a good place to hide. Try asking if there are any part time assistants needed.

Recently I had to tell my last boss about my bp disorder because I am trying to reenlist in the military and I had to ask her for a letter of reccomendation saying that I wasn't a complete nutcase and can perform normally in a workplace setting. I usually tell people that I "went through some bad stuff" in my early twenties, then I gauge the way they react. If they look at me like I'm from another planet I stop the story telling and end it right there. If they seem understanding, after getting to know them better I let them know about my bp. Telling people about your bp is a real tricky thing, you don't want to fully divulge ev erything in one conversation because even the most understanding person can get overwhelmed with the story-telling asnd conlclude that you're a complete nutcase. The best approach that I found is to drop subtle hints here and there and see how they react before fully coming out.

crash test dummy.

Hi Guy,
You hit the nail on the head with your desciption of your cycles. Sounds like me and most all of us BP's. I gave up a wonderful fulltime job as an optician cuz I would get in a bad mood and tell the patients to go FU** of etc.... Now I stay home . I've been diagnosed for 12-13 years but I know I had it as early as 12. Ya just say, that's the hand I've been delt and carry on, I guess...

I don't tell people about my BP unless I totally trust them. That's rare. I'm paranoid too. I am working as an HR administrator, and I usually can handle a job for about 8 months to a year, then I'm off to another location, where no-one knows me, and I feel comfortable in the incognito of the situation. Maybe you could find something with phone work. That way you can be anyone you want. Try call centre attendant. I would like to have a job that I call people and yell, "WAKE THE FU_K UP!" in the early mornings. Problem here is that I'm not a morning person. LOL. But I still think that it would be funny!

Elevator operator, 'Going up", 'going down', 'freefall".

I had a very demanding job working for a State run institution for developmentally disabled, mentally ill and criminal offenders that are DD. I was great at my job and enjoyed it for many years. It was stressful but I prided myself on my ability to handle it most of the time...and then my first really bad episode happened. My symptoms have continued to worsen over the years. I took a 3 month leave of absence and returned to the job. 8 years went by until my next big episode and this one was worse. I was out of work for 8 months. I did return but knew I was not as competent at my duties as I had been in the past. I lastest 4 more years at which time I had decompensated to the worse I had ever been. I was off work until my long term disability benefits expired and have since been on disability for the past (almost) 5 years. Although I ultimately had to leave my job I have the comfort in knowing that I had a good run and that I had done a superior job and had helped many people. I learned to accept that it was high time I focused on helping myself for a change.
Pursue what your heart desires and see where it takes you Guy! Best wishes.

I was in the processing area of banking and then I was incognito for 5 years going from this to that. Now dept of rehab is helping me with school and I have a part time in a ritzy Day SPA/salon being a locker attendant. The sad part is they just opened and nee to practice on me on occasion,massages etc. (ha ha). I am just trying to get a job doing social work. Hope this helps.

I work for a company that makes body bags.