This blog writes about two subjects.

1. Are there ideal jobs for someone diagnosed with bipolar disorder (as I am) to pursue?

2. Making the decision to disclose your diagnosis when hired.

I am not a doctor or a psychiatrist and I am strictly writing about my own personal experience, but I have received excellent advice from medical professionals and will refer to that too.

Types of work

Based on my own experience and advice from doctors, there really is no black and white answer to what types of jobs may be most suitable jobs for those diagnosed with bipolar. Some can do very demanding work in the arts such as Britney Spears, Frank Sinatra, Mariah Carey and Dolores O’Riordan, to name a few well-known artists from the past and present. Others can be in positions of great responsibility such as well-known clinical psychologist, Kay Redfield Jamison; and author of the classic ‘An Unquiet Mind”.

Many can still be subject to hospitalisations and manic episodes when unemployed or doing relatively low stress work.

In my case, over my 30-year career, I held some very high stress demanding jobs. Most did not suit me. Particularly when I was doing client facing work as an IT consultant and was conscious of how much my time was being charged to the client. But, as my doctor pointed out to me, many people would find this kind of work stressful. Not just those diagnosed with bipolar.

At the other end of the spectrum, after I was discharged from hospital after my first manic episode in 2014, I was very low and only considered minimum wage work. I assumed it would be easy and low stress. I worked in a well-known department store in Toronto (where I lived at the time) during the busy Christmas season. I found it difficult and being upbeat and positive to all the customers was quite exhausting.

I eventually returned to the line of work I had been doing most of my career in IT. After my second manic episode in 2019 (in Ireland), the employment counsellor at the local psychiatric hospital suggested doing a low stress job and I did evening shifts (3 hours per evening) as a cleaner. I did not mind it as I was alone, could put my headphones on and make a bit of money. Better than nothing. Again, it was a short-term bridge to something more highly paid.

But when I tried to return to IT, the jobs did not work out for me again and again. I had to face the fact that I needed to consider a new line of work. Ideally, a job that would pay somewhere in the middle between what I earned minimum wage and the high salaries I was on in IT.

I got help from great organisations such as the Open Doors Initiative, Intreo, AHEAD and the Employability Services of the Department of Social Protection. This helped me zone in on what would work for me financially and for my mental health. Working alone (mostly) seems to suit me so I am in the process of finding writing/editing work, AI work, teaching adult literacy courses and more.

It is also helpful to know that it is possible to work part time and maintain all or a portion of your disability allowance and benefits. This is a good path to transitioning from being on disability to working part time and then to possibly working full time. To find out more about this you can visit their website or call your local Intreo office. There is also an excellent tool online to calculate the impact on your disability allowance from your earnings, which you can find here: MyWelfare, Department of Social Protection - Benefit of Work.

I am very aware that many people cannot afford to get by on Disability Allowance payments particularly if they are paying rent/ mortgages and are unable to secure social housing. This is challenging as they may be doing their health damage by taking up work when they are not ready for or when the work is stressful with long hours. But, from my personal perspective, for now, I am aiming to work part-time and maintain some of my Disability Allowance.

So, to answer the question posed, there is no ‘perfect’ job for those with bipolar. It depends on the individual and what works best for them at the time.

Disclosure

I regularly hear the statement that “it’s your decision to disclose your disability” however I don’t necessarily agree with this. Deciding to disclose a disability is a deeply personal choice and circumstances vary widely by person and situation. I can only share my personal experiences about disclosing my diagnosis of bipolar. Relatively late as I was in my early 40s and most diagnoses are received much earlier in life.

I worked mostly on short term contracts in my 40’s and was not a permanent employee with the same entitlements to paid annual and sick leave. Contract work also meant I did not feel I had the recourse from HR if I needed advice about disclosing.  In the contract work I did, my performance was fine, but I did feel a lot of pressure and I believe my demeanour/mood may have caused concerns to my employer. I chose not to disclose my bipolar at this time because I was concerned how the employer may respond if I did disclose and if this would mean an end to my contract or impact my future employment opportunities.  In contract work job security is always a concern and no matter how well you perform on a project there is a possibility the contract can be terminated with short notice and without reason. I would recommend getting guidance from mental health professionals or organisations like AHEAD that provide resources on disclosure.

It is intensely personal to share one’s diagnosis or the fact that you were hospitalised and in a psychiatric ward.  It also leaves you feeling vulnerable even if you are getting good support. I am happy to share my experiences with AHEAD as I am very conscious of the stigma those with the diagnosis continue to face. Much progress has been made but a lot of adverse reactions/comments persist around psychiatric hospitalisations (which I believe should be viewed as no different from any hospitalisation). It is as if you are a hero when you are discharged from hospital for a physical illness. But more of an outcast when people find out you were in a psychiatric ward. Even worse if it was involuntary.

I have to confess that I myself had an ill-informed negative opinion of psychiatric hospitalisations until it happened to me, and I saw my fellow patients’ struggles and resilience. This experience opened up my eyes to some deep-seated misconceptions about mental health. Even the term ‘mental illness’ is viewed more negatively than ‘physical illness’ by colleagues/employers. The brain is one of 100 very interconnected organs in the body so why distinguish between physical and mental health in the first place?

Ultimately, disclosing your disability is a very difficult decision to make and can unfortunately result in being treated differently particularly for those suffering from mental illnesses. Therefore, it is important that you consider your circumstances and whether you would like to make your employer aware of your needs and request accommodations. Working through AHEAD’s Disclosure publication is a great starting point and can support you with this very personal decision.

Some actions that I think are helpful for employers to take to create a supportive workplace around mental health conditions are to provide access to mental health resources such as employee assistance programmes and counselling services, flexible working arrangements and ensure workplace supports in relation to mental health are provided. Regular mental health awareness training for managers and employees as well as support from occupational health can assist both managers and employees.

Whether you are a professional soccer player or a software programmer, we as humans work the same. If we are happy off the ‘field’, we will excel on it. The benefits of creating a supportive workplace will mean a workforce who is happy in their work and in their lives outside of work.

To sum up, (1) there is no ‘perfect’ job for those with bipolar – it is a process that is personal to each individual but there are supports and tools out there to help you. And finally, (2) the decision to disclose is not an easy decision to make. It all depends on the individual and you need to make the best decision for you in your own personal situation.