Can You Continue to Work After a Bipolar Disorder Diagnosis?
Two challenges and three solutions.
It surprised to see this question in one of my Facebook groups a few days ago, “Can you still work with bipolar?”
My first thought was how sad it was that someone felt having bipolar disorder might mean they would never work again.
Of course, you can still work, I mumbled to myself.
But then I thought about it and remembered back to the spring of 1995 when I was first diagnosed. Truth be told, I didn’t work for close to a year. One job I held for only a few weeks and was a terrible employee during that time. Those awful months, I could barely bathe or dress myself.
It’s no wonder that someone at the beginning of their mental illness journey might worry it’s the end. It’s not. I promise you.
For over two decades now, I have been fighting the bipolar beast successfully. I’ve had a few different jobs, but held on to each for years at a time.
If you are new to coping with a mental illness diagnosis, you may wonder if you can work with bipolar. Yes, you can, but it might take a little time. Bipolar adds a few hurdles to the employment mix.
