Bipolar Disorder & Working: The Struggle When a person struggles with bipolar disorder, it can often be very difficult for them to follow through with daily tasks and routines that most are capable and used to doing on a daily basis. Holding a job and working is one of them. This can be a huge road block for those who struggle with the disorder mentally, emotionally, and financially. The fact that many with bipolar disorder cannot work is often judged and constantly misunderstood. They may hear comments such as, but not limited to: “Why can’t so and so work?” “What is so difficult about going to work?” “What does bipolar disorder have to do with it?” “It’s laziness. There is no reason you aren’t able to work or hold a job.” ”Everyone is expected to work. There is no reason you can’t.” It is also a fact that those who make such comments are unfamiliar and uneducated about the illness. In fact, there are many factors that make carrying out daily tasks difficult and strenuous on a bipolar individual. There are many symptoms of the disorder that contribute and that can cause disruption in their daily lives. Bipolar is often referred to now as a physical illness and not just a mental illness because it can also affect their lives physically as well. For example, their energy levels which can greatly affect their ability to accomplish and carry out those daily tasks. During mania, a person living with the disorder may exhibit an increase in energy, excessive or rapid speech, insomnia, spending sprees, irritability, aggression, and an overall seemingly hyper and/or agitated personality. During depression, an individual living with the disorder may present common depression symptoms such as, a decrease in energy, sadness, withdrawn behavior, aggression, irritability, feelings of hopelessness and/or abandonment (lonely), crying, anxiety, suicidal thoughts or ideations, and negative self-image, thoughts, and thinking patterns. Now this still may raise questions about how these mood changes can affect a person living with bipolar disorder so greatly. With these drastic mood changes, a person who lives with bipolar disorder emotions, mentality, and overall appearance both physically and mentally changes. In times of mania, the individual may be unusually productive which actually can be very helpful when working a job and completing daily tasks. They may describe these feelings as “I have never been feeling better.” and “life is great!” After the mania starts to develop and swing into a depression state, the individual may start to feel and appear too overstimulated which can lead into the anxiety, irritability, and aggression. Once the over-stimulation stage occurs, it may suddenly become very difficult for them to concentrate and finish up the task they were currently attending to without becoming frustrated, irritable, and overwhelmed. In times of depression, individuals with bipolar disorder may feel unmotivated, a decrease in energy levels, an overall sadness, and unhappiness in their lives. Some may describe these feelings and episodes as, “I’m bored with my life.” “Nothing matters anymore.” "No one cares about me.” "Things would just be easier if I wasn’t around.” There are times where the depression becomes too low to even function at all. With depression, it is common for them to feel apathetic towards life. The feelings of hopelessness, sadness, the negative thoughts/worries, and unusually low energy levels can sometimes result in more serious complications such as suicide. In a work environment, it can be very difficult to cope with the severity of the symptoms. At work, most people tend to try to be on their best behaviors. Bipolar individuals strive to do the same. When they are at work and are experiencing such severe and sudden changes in their moods and symptoms, it may become way too overwhelming to cope with both the stress of the work, the overall environment (feelings of discomfort and lack of support), and the changes they are currently experiencing within themselves. With all of this happening at once, this can very easily create a recipe for disaster causing the individual to leave or skip work , quit, and/or even result in a termination in employment. When bipolar individuals start repeating the patterns of quitting or being terminated from a job, it may be a good idea to create or turn to a safety net such as SSI, SSDI, or other sources of income/support. It is very important for those who struggle with bipolar disorder to be properly medicated, have regular doctors appointments, and to ultimately be stable before setting out to work.
Posted on: Mon, 16 Sep 2013 23:48:59 +0000
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