Lived Experience Forum

[Snoz]

Newbie here and have recently had bipolar 2 confirmed by a psychiatrist after decades of mental health struggles. It is both a relief and frightening at the same time.

I know the condition has been impacting my relationships and work especially recently as the ssri I was on had me rapid cycling.

What I would like to ask is if and how anyone with Bipolar has discussed this with an employer?

[Rhye]

Evening @Snoz and welcome to the forum family!

My name is Rhye and I'm a peer support worker in the forums. I just want to start by acknowledging the strength it takes to join a forum like this and to reach out for help, it's not always easy. To your question – I've never discussed my actual mental health diagnosis with an employer, but I have told them I'm struggling with my mental health, and taken sick leave when things were really tough. 

Does your place of work have an HR department or someone you feel you can speak to with a level of confidence that it will be kept confidential in the first instance? 

Rhye ☘️

PS – if you ever need a moderator you can always tag one like this @moderator 

[Snoz]

Thanks Rhye,

No HR and I report direct to the owner/ceo. I know there are protections under fair work so not so concerned there. I kind of feel that part of reducing the stigma around bipolar involves being open about it and was just seeking others experiences. Particularly as it is an ongoing condition. 

[Rhye]

I wholeheartedly agree with you when it comes to reducing stigma and sharing ones story @Snoz.

I hope there are others who may be along this evening to share their experiences of disclosing mental health in the workplace, particularly bipolar, and I might tag some of our Community Guides and members here too @Boo13 @Faith-and-Hope 
@NatureLover @Zoe7 @AussieRecharger @MDT @TAB @Rosemary4 @eth @Mazarita @frog @Meowmy @greenpea @Shaz51 

[TAB]

@Former-Member  re disclosure ? what do you think @Bill16  ?

[Shaz51]

Hello and welcome @Snoz 

My husband  has also gone throughout his life with soo many different diagnosis until the said he has Bipolar 2 

We have a good thread called Let`s talk about Bipolar to click onto 

My husband has never told his employer,  that that he had depression,  he did not know about bipolar 2 until we went self employed 

Will tag a couple of other members @Dimity , @Olga , @rivergal , @eth 

[Snoz]

Thanks

[AussieRecharger]

Hey @Snoz 

What are you aiming to achieve with the disclosure?  I know you mention removing stigma but are you trying to do that by being able to talk about it openly? 

I have talked about anxiety with my boss before and although they were sympathetic, they also did not have a plan on how to use my strengths to bring about change so I could work better. They simply just treated the team as people and I left. I was great at the job, but at the same time, I needed support in the job to continue to give it my all, and without changing the job to work to my strengths and help to eliminate procrastination or processing loops, the discussions I had pretty much were pointless. 

[Shaz51]

This thread is interesting too @Snoz 

Topic Tuesday // Employment and Mental Health // Tues 8th June, 7:00-8:30PM AEST , ia a only read now 

[Zoe7]

Hey @Snoz I firmly believe disclosing one's MI is a very individual choice and is dependant on your own awareness, that of your employer and also the supports you have in place. It also depends very much on your own level of functioning in your role and if having support in your work environment would help you do your job. Sometimes having someone aware of our struggles can be a real positive and actually contribute to us working more efficiently as we feel we have support. I personally have found that at my current workplace. I have not disclosed much at all but I also have not needed to - the support is there and we often do not know that that is there until we have the conversation ...maybe begin by doing what @Rhye has done previously and mention that you are having some mental health issues to 'test the water' before disclosing more. This is not to avoid the conversation nor contribute to the stigma - it is a self preservation strategy to see the lay of the land and get some insight into how your employer will react. In my experience, there is often more  awareness, more empathy and more support than we might imagine.