Well, I am a graduate student, and eventually will be a professor/researcher (if I can get through school). In some ways, it is a good environment for someone with BP- tends to be very flexible, a relatively high % of people with BP work in academia, so they are used to people with mental illness, etc. When I had a *very* obvious psychotic episode last fall, people were hardly fazed. Several of my professors have bipolar, and one has schizophrenia. It's obviously not that easy to come back to teaching and work after a hospitalization, but it might be easier in academia than in other jobs.

BUT- it is very high pressure, you basically are expected to work 24 hours a day, and it is very low-structure. So for people like me who do best with structure, but aren't that great at creating it for yourself, I think academia can actually be bad for people with bipolar. I end up working WAY WAY WAY too much, and have very little balance in my life. My friends who don't have bipolar also work too hard, but when they get stressed, they are not at the same kind of risk of a manic episode, as I am.

The other bad thing, at least in the US, is that full-time academic jobs are very hard to come by. A large number (over 70%) of people with phds do not have full-time jobs. Beyond the obvious stress of worrying where your paycheck will come from, the problem with that is that the trend in academia now is for most professors to be "adjunct" or temporary. So you are hired to teach on a per-class basis. Not only does this work out to a less than minimum-wage rate (you would be shocked at how little most professors earn)- but the biggest problem with this for people with a chronic illness is that there is no health insurance. The vast majority of phd professors without full-time jobs (which is most of them)- do not have health insurance in the US.

So this uncertainity about getting a job (a full-time job) with health insurance, in an industry that is increasingly moving away from the entire concept of full-time jobs, can really increase stress. It's bad for everyone, but especially for people who rely on expensive medication and doctors.

I work in a wood shop for a door manufacturer. It's noisy and dirty, cold in the winter and hot in the summer. We have to remember that there are at least two facets to work stress. Those are the stress caused by the work and the work environment itself and as always there's the stress we bring with ourselves. I think if we can de-stress ourselves then we reduce the effect of other stresses.

Unfortuneately i am currently unemployed due to my own action. I went into some sort of bi-polar trance and quit my last job. It was overwhelming and very demanding, so my goal is to find something simple for a while.

i'm not working, I feel into a deep depression and finally quit my job after 3 other fMLa's and panic attacks at work over a short period of time. right now, i can't handle a job, its to much for me.

i got layed off from my last job, i still babysit though, and i really really love it...i love the kids and we have so much fun together...and they are another medicine for me!:) hugs

I am a receptionist in allied health and also do all the fundraising organising, from dinners with auctions, approaching companies for items we can auction, designing and printing invitations, menus, tickets etc to now arranging a walk for 11 days, 35km's per day to raise awareness and funds for the company i work for. I will say I tend not to stay longer than a couple of years in jobs but am trying to sit this one out as I love it. I was however very open with my boss about my bp as it is allied health I feel they should understand if and when I need time off.

I used to be an EMT. I worked in an ER and part time on an ambulance. I loved the jobs but finally had to give them up when I had an episode from the stress. I am on disability but I work two days a week as a Caregiver in people's homes. It is very low stress and has its own rewards in feeling useful and that I'm contributing something toward helping people. I do miss the excitement of emergency work but it can't be anymore. I've been at my Caregiver job about two years now. I do like it fine.

I'm a network engineer.

oh and I have a bunch of degree thingy's

I've been out of work for a couple of months but when I'm working I am a Financial Administrator and also educate the Elderly on Stock Analysis.

photographer/designer but looking to change to art psychotherapist

I'm a corporate lifer, middle management. I've done billing, training, accounting, managed teams of engineers and HR.

I'm getting SSI soon so I'm not working; but I used to be an art model working for the art classes. I also used to do singing telegrams but that got too crazy with trying to get directions to their houses and getting lost; plus I don't drive so I'd always get a guilt trip.

high school teacher...I don't recommend it if your BP is hard to manage

I'm an Aircraft Servicer at an Army Airfield; marshalling aircraft to their parking spot and driving the staircase truck to the door of the planes; other flightline duties. It gets stressful. I hope I can stay here a long time. But sometimes I wonder if I should be working at all -- there is much depression in my BP.