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My mental illnesses are getting in the way of me getting a job
I'm a 19 year old girl. I have Bipolar 1, depression, severe anxiety, severe panic attacks, and insomnia. I also have some learning disabilities and agoraphobia (fear of people). Not only is all of this very difficult to deal with as it is, but I can't get a job or complete my GED because of it. I'm absolutely terrified to do most anything; make phone calls, go to the store, go out with friends, even just sitting at home alone triggers panic attacks. I've tried to get jobs but I've failed in all attempts. The farthest I've gotten, was past the interview which was very very difficult and started my first day but I had a severe panic attack and a mental breakdown, to which they sent me home, and I wasn't able to continue working there. It was humiliating and worsened my depression and confidence. I have no idea what to do. I'm so stressed out and I just want to be able to move on in my life like a normal person. I can't afford therapy, and I'm already on 1mg Xanax 3 times a day, 100mg of topomax a day, and 600mg of lithium a day. I feel like a failure because I can't accomplish these things and function normally. Does anyone suffer like this? What are your methods to overcome this? Is there anything that can help me? I'm extremely desperate. Please help. I need someone who understands.
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Sometimes we stress ourselves out because we are stressed out, do you know what I mean? It is a vicious circle.You have to get off this roller coaster. You start to panic because you are afraid you will have a panic attack. You can't get to sleep because you are worrying about your insomnia. I think you get what I'm trying to say here. First of all you need to relax. Have you ever tried yoga? Look into relaxation techniques that you can use. You also have to be vocal in your own care. If you do not think a medication is helping you or is possibly making you worse then tell the doctor they need to try something different. Have they ever tried Pristiq? I know someone with similar symptoms who has benefited a lot from it but it does have a lot of side effects. As far as work goes my best suggestion for you would be to make some crafts to sell online or find something you can do to work from home. Stop pressuring yourself about all the things you can't do and focus on the things you can do. Even if all you can do today is fix yourself some breakfast then you accomplished something . Give yourself a pat on the back. If all you can do tomorrow is paint your nails then make them really pretty and be proud of how they look, you've accomplished something. Who says you have to conquer the world. Abraham Lincoln once said "whatever you are, be a good one!" I'll bet you could make a beautiful bracelet if you wanted to. I'll bet you could learn to knit or crochet and make beautiful things to wear or sell. I'll bet you could learn to cook at least one dish that everybody loves. I'll bet you are capable of a lot more than you think! The reason you didn't do well at those jobs is because they were not the right jobs for you! You will know when you find what you are meant to do. Find out what you love to do first. Try not to blame all the problems in your life on your bi polar. Some of them are just problems you would still have if you illness went away tomorrow. We all have problems of some sort, even the rich and famous!One of my favorite quotes is "if you change your thoughts, you change your life" I really believe this is true. Changing your thoughts from negative to positive will change your entire outlook. Instead of saying "look at all the things I can't do" say "look at what I just did!"and be proud!Good luck!
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I suffer from Bi polar, Border line personality disorder, severe depression, and severe anxiety. I know exactly what you are going through iv been to the psych center twice because of mental break downs. I had the most horrible time trying to get help for my disorders, and alot of the time these get in the way of me finding a job. The bsu would help alot with finding therapy that you can afford with medicade or another form of payment. If youd like to discuss this further feel free to email me.
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Sweet lil angel is right, there must be some kind of help center for those with disabilities like yours. So if not on disability, check into that because you and I know that since so much ends up being a big challenge to you, you are going to need some help.Can the parents at least help get you hooked up with a social worker from the dept. of social and health services?I am going to s These are people trained to know how to help, what programs to have you try. They can even help get you working part time with companies that are understanding of people with disabilities and tend to hire the disabled. So having a bad day and ending up with a panic attack won't end your job. There should be a job counsel to go with you, someone who's worked with counseling you and knows what your abilities are and acts as a helper to get you acclimated and through training at a job. If its determined you can not handle even part time work, you have to go on full time disability. The biggest obstacles are finding the right agencies to help. they may be overstaffed these days and you may need to be patient to get seen by someone but you'll also need someone, a family member or friend willing to help you with being persistant to check back with agencies until you get the help you need.
Sorry but I can't say that there is a way to overcome all the things you have. I used to work as a caregiver part time for several people with mental health issues and variations of all the things you mentioned you suffer from. From what I have seen, people with what you suffer from have to find a way to get on disability, all of them were well taken care of once they were hooked up in the system.
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There are ways to find therapy programs and outreach centers. You can call the welfare department in your area and start there see if they can help you. Have you looked into disability? It's an option it will help you financially and medically. My son has Aspergers and with out his therapy I don't know how he and I would manage he is just 7 and I know going untreated in therapy can make it worse. I try to find the most and best help I can for him with out over whelming him.
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