Hi iam bipolar i cant seem to hold a job down?!
Question: I am a man who loves his family which is the strongest thing going for me , i take my meds regularly,but cant seem to roll with the normal day to day grind of negative interaction in a nut shell low tolerance to bull **** and mind games you would find any where i guess ,i seem to have the drive to want to get back on my feet every time i leave a position but cant seem to hold one is there any one out there,i do have to admit i read a lot of body language which is automatic in my case developed from security and sales roles which seems to compound things getting desperate now at 49 the weights packing on,and i would love to get to 65 be around my grand kids. My family love me to all though this has been hard on them for the last 15 years any ideas on physco therapy will continue to strive for happiness and the right to live on this planet ,not just to take but to contribute to.Dad with a big heart who wants to make a living.
Answers: I am a man who loves his family which is the strongest thing going for me , i take my meds regularly,but cant seem to roll with the normal day to day grind of negative interaction in a nut shell low tolerance to bull **** and mind games you would find any where i guess ,i seem to have the drive to want to get back on my feet every time i leave a position but cant seem to hold one is there any one out there,i do have to admit i read a lot of body language which is automatic in my case developed from security and sales roles which seems to compound things getting desperate now at 49 the weights packing on,and i would love to get to 65 be around my grand kids. My family love me to all though this has been hard on them for the last 15 years any ideas on physco therapy will continue to strive for happiness and the right to live on this planet ,not just to take but to contribute to.Dad with a big heart who wants to make a living.
I personally was in the exact same place you are right now when I was 23...I realize that seems like a really young age, but I was diagnosed with Bi-Polar Type 1 with Psychotic Features, severe OCD, acute paranoia (because I think God hates me and does stuff to me on purpose) and delusions of grandeur (because I made the mistake of telling a judge I could run the coutnry if the powers that be would just give me the opportunity) two months before my 18th birthday. I have done anything and everything you can imagine. I've changed shrinks probably 50 times, not to mention therapists (although the first 4 or 5 therapists changed on me because they weren't equiped to handle all of my issues at once, only a few of them). I began to slef-medicate the stopped taking meds altogether. However, on the plus side, I have currently been with the same shrink for 3 years come March and I have also been on the same meds and been stable for the same amount of time. I have also been seeing the same therapist for about 4 months now, ever 3 weeks. I no longer have to see the shrink but ever 4 months either which is great news to me.
But, when I was in the shoes you are in now, I was really having a rough go of it. I went through probably 20 jobs in a 6-month period of time. It seemed like I was always being reprimanded at every job for things I didn't feel I had done wrong...but still yet, I was always getting into trouble. I would always quit before they could fire me, because up until I started having problems taking my meds and what have you, I had always been a good worker and had never been fired from a job, EVER!!! I used to be the assistant manager of a gas station/convenience store until it went out of business, and I was a Data Conversions Operator (I typed 10 hours a day on the night shift) for the United States Postal Service. But again, when the drugs stopped, my normal life stopped. I wouldn't sleep until about 8 in the morning and then I would get up at noon and start the pattern all over again. I never cleaned my house, I never washed my laundry, and I basically never washed myself either. I once ran away to California to live with my biological mother, which didn't go over well because I hated the place with a passion.
I don't have any experience with psycho therapy, but right now I am working with my therapist on something called Cognitive Behavior Therapy. It's supposed to help me learn to deal with things in a different way than I usually do - I tend to respond automatically with anger and violence before anything else. I am supposed to leaern how to step outside and see the situations I find myself in from a different point of view. I can't say I see a whole lot of change just yet, but I've only had 4 or 5 sessions thus far, so there's still a lot to learn right now.
I feel for you about the weight issue, for I too have packed on the pounds and they aren't going away no matter how little I eat and how much I exercise. I believe the medication has a lot to do with that, I just haven't figured out which one of mine is the culpret. I am certain it's the meds because 2 of them I am taking have weight loss as a side-effect, and one of those 2 is actually prescribed to people as a weight loss drug...it doesn't effect me that way unfortunately.
As for not being able to keep a job, again, I feel for you. Have you considered the option of filing for your Social Security Disability??? It is a very lengthy process when you are trying to prove a mental disability, and the Social Security Administration is a total pain in the *** about it and they certainly take their good ol time, but once it's over and done with, you won't have to worry about losing jobs and not being able to take care of your family financially. Plus, it reduces a lot of stress that you are probably dealing with right now. That's an option you have in front of you. Or you can always keep trying to find yourself a job you can settle into although I know how hard that is because there are days when you just don't feel up to going to work and there are days when you feel like all the idiots in the world have decided that they are going to come into the place where you just happen to work. I understand completely how you are feeling, and I wish you the best of luck with whatever you decide to do. I hope things workout for you.
If there's anything else you think I can help you out with, feel free to email me. Good luck to you.
I would suggest group therapy... not only would you be getting a form of psychotherapy, but you would be learning how you come across to other people AND how to deal with annoying people.
Just hang in there. Retire soon and then you can relax.
i suggest you try for your disability check
People are annoying and full of BS. It's expecially hard to people with depression or bipolar issues to be able to cope with this. I try everyday. To get me out of the grind I am going to attempt to start my own business or work from home. This way my employment will be on my terms and I'll only be around people when I want to be. Maybe you could consider this as well.
Your local MHMRA will seek the help you need and will assist you in getting disability.
Wow, do I know what you're talking about. I am married to a bipolar man. He is a wonderful person, but has had trouble holding a job down for the past 10 years. I would say that he can't go longer than 6 months in one place. He 1) does not handle stress well, 2) has trouble waking early in the day, 3) has continuous conflicts with co-workers, and 4) has no tolerance or patience dealing with other people's mistakes or lack of responsibility. He wants, more than anything, to be a provider for his family, but without thinking, he will quit a job before finding a new one.
I think one thing that has helped is finding low-stress jobs that he feels comfortable at. One thing he was able to do was work graveyard shifts, so that he had minimal people to deal with each day. It was hard, and still is, explaining to employers why he would want a job for $11 per hour, when he has ran his own company, and been an account executive for so many years. He doesn't want to tell employers about his disorder because of the stigma attached.
All I can tell you is to find your nitch. It's great that you have the love and support of your family. Find a job that you like to go to every day, even if it means taking a huge paycut. If all else fails, apply for disability benefits..and when they deny you..apply again.
Best of luck to you...
I empathise with your situation and understand why you feel that way. It is not your fault and in no way is this getting anyone down as this is life as it is.
I highly recommend group therapy and embracing religion. If you're agnostic or an atheist, then I suggest simply READING up on the different religions like Christianity, Islam or Buddhism. I shall not point out any particular one as that would be biased of me so you have a free choice. Trust me, faith works wonders with your soul and especially in your case, it can do a lot for your mind and body.
You seem like a reasonable man with a lot to offer his family and one who takes responsibility very seriously which is scarce in today's generation. I firmly believe and am extremely sure that one day, you will hold your grandchildren in your arms as they smother your face with icing from your 70th birthday cake.
On a lighter note, of course by that time our whole planet will be taken over by extra-terrestrials or artificial intelligence has spread a strain of the bubonic plague and everyone else will be walking around with assault rifles and sub-machineguns fighting for the last of the world's resources (wait, isn't that already happening?) so that's the least of your worries. =P
well there are lots of jobs you can do online,but you have to be willing to work hard to make money doing it. but it's there. also have you applied for disability w/social security,if not you should. even a little bit of money is better than nothing and you can also get money for your children too. the number is 1-800-772-1213 or you can apply at www.socialsecurity.gov. but you do need to have a well documented history of mental illness though. it was tough for me for a while and i just had to stop working and it wasn't easy since i had worked most of my life. i have my disability check and my husband works. i'm not saying it's easy but there is help. i hope i've helped. but you have to make sure that you get yourself into a good therapy plan,whether it be individual,family,or group. it helps to deal w/ a lot to have someone to talk to.
Therapy, group therapy.
Do you have talents or skills that lend to working from home? Types of work where you don't work with people so much? Think about jobs that perhaps fit your needs better. Sales is tough. I couldn't do it. I'm cycle to much.