Managing Bipolar In The Work Place

 It can be a struggle getting a job, then keeping it when faced with mental illness. Do you tell your manager and/or associates you work with about you disorder or not? Even during an interview process it's hard to know how much of your health issues you should share. When you know your performance at your job may be affected, when should you share this information about yourself and how much should you share if any.

9 out of 10 people with bipolar disorder are affected by it in job performance. As a previous manager I would have wanted some one to tell me if they struggled with mental health so that I could understand restrictions they may have and know how to relate to them but I was an understanding person and many aren't.

Talking with a supervisor can be beneficial, helping them understand your needs and abilities. It could also affect the way they treat and look at you in a negative way.

If you decide to share your mental illness with work or not there are some things you can request from your boss, giving an excuse under a different name not even needing any details but health if you wish. You need regular breaks to eat or a regular schedule, these are all normal requests for anyone with blood sugar problems etc. Regular breaks allow for you to meditate, call a friend if your stressed, take medication, refocus your mind or walk around to relax and relieve stress.

Find a job that's suitable for your health. I find that constant machine noises drive me up the wall. Most often the job needs to be scheduled hours, not too much stress, and suit the person of social and personal needs. What environment is best for you? Is it a job that drives you too much that you may struggle with impulsiveness or doesn't challenge you enough.

Have you told people you work with about a mental health issue? What benefits did you get from telling them or did you wish you never did?