Bipolar Disorder Support Group
Bipolar disorder is not just a single disorder, but a category of mood disorders marked by periods of abnormally high energy and euphoria, often accompanied by bouts of clinical depression. This is the place to talk about your experience with bipolar disorder, learn from others' experiences, and find support.
Hey,
So, I was diagnosed almost a year ago and it's taken this long to finally find a med and dosage that works for me. I'm on 400mg of Seroquel currently and it seems to be doing just fine along with a low dose of Zoloft. A lil back story to me...I found out I am bipolar after a rough month at college of literally doing nothing but sleeping and barely eating anything. I did not even go to class. I went to a counselor once a week at the time and finally after a few nights of holding a mound of my trazadone in my hand wishing for the courage to take it and marking my legs with the lines I couldn't bring myself to make with a knife and literally stabbing my leg with either a thumb tack or a finger prick thing, I had to call my mom in the middle of the night to have her distract me from hurting myself further. The next day I woke up and went to the counselor and she decided I needed to be institutionalized for my own safety. I spent a week in the psych ward. I wouldn't be here without that counselor. Anyway, has anyone found a way to cope and have a job? I've tried, but unfortunately I can't keep one. Exercise is helping me lose weight and de-stress, but I still can't figure out the job thing. I had to drop out of college and miss out on so many opportunities because of this disorder and I'm trying to get my shit together.
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Hey All...I hope that you have a lovely, peaceful beginning of your weekI have a bunch of chores that need doing but may put them off til tomorrow and just hang out with my landlord/roomie todayWhat about you?...Anything special going on?Have a great day and take good care of you!!..Xo
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Once again I've had a fever today. I'm not going to the hospital because that's a huge waste of time but I did schedule a dr appointment for Wednesday afternoon.
I think we are all affected to different degrees and different amounts and develop strategies.
I've worked now for over 30 years for the same company in a corporate career. Not sure what advice I'd give you. Being able to work from home has probably been a huge help.
Truthfully, all bipolars are different as well as alike. Some hold down jobs for many years; some job-hop; some can't work at all.
If you are at the point in your life of actively seeking work, be sure to look for work that you enjoy, if at all possible.
Get with career centers and let them help you make a good resume, one that will focus on your strengths and abilities.
I'm not the best to give advice, because mostly I job-hopped, but try not to take on more than you can do. Good luck!
Don't be too hard on yourself, take the time you need to heal. As everyone else said, we're all affected to different degrees and find different ways to cope. I'm a creative soul so I write as a coping mechanism. Find what helps settle you- just like your meds it might take a while to find the right method but you will.
As it regards getting/keeping a job- try to go after something you really enjoy. Loving what you're doing will help to keep you motivated. And trust me, it will give you a serious boost! If you find that you can't keep a job for too long because of your shifting focus (a lot of us have that issue) you could probably look into temp jobs or free-lancing on one of those work-from-home sites like Up Work.
I hope you find good support here like I have!
I don't know where you are, but here we have programs for people with disabilities for employment including help determining fields that would be a good fit based on aptitude testing, placement services, education assistance, and sometimes assistance getting to and from positions and acting as a liaison with employers. It might be beneficial to see if there are any such programs where you are.
I think that being able to shape the circumstances of what your employment is or will be helps a lot, unfortunately not everyone is able to do that. Perhaps using a Career Counselor might help to find a job that works well for you. Maybe taking time to really think about the circumstances that would be better for you vs. what might make things unbearable or upsetting throughout the day might help. I guess knowing your limitations is a big point and perhaps using a service, see if Social Services in your City offers any Career Counseling for people with Mental Illness might be a way to go about finding a job that works.
Take care,
kat
Welcome to DS...
I have worked for 29 years. I changed jobs, sometimes worked part time. I managed my symptoms sometimes better than others....
The world of work has really changed in my opinion...it seems fewer and chewers workers are doing more and more of the work. So the work place can be quite stressful or extremely underpaid. So think carefully about what you want to do and what you can do....
If you haven't seen a life coach that might be a good place to start to find a direction.
Anyway welcome this is a good place to get and give support....