Being "out" about mental illness at work and requiring accommodations

[bogwitch]

I have severe anxiety and always considered myself high functioning but I keep going through periods about once per year where I lose the ability to function and try to white knuckle it. I don't take time off for my mental health and end up being put on probation at work. Obviously I need to stop the white knuckling but I'm also considering "outting" myself as having anxiety disorder to HR and asking for accommodations to be made but I've never done this before. I'm not sure what it's like, and it seems like a "bad career move". However, being put on probation once per year isn't working for my career, either! Wondering if anyone else has gone this route and embraced being non-nuerotypical in a work setting. Thank you!

[Hidden]

I can tell you from some personal experience I had years ago with having severe depression and deciding to try to seek some accomodations so I wouldn't outright quit my job, some people might be really understanding but some others won't be. People are people. It's interesting how I was working under 2 different managers and one of them was really nice to me and didn't seem to have any kind of issue with it, while the other guy definitely did. You may just want to start looking around for some other line of work that might be less stressful or perhaps try to transfer to a different department where you could handle the anxiety better. I know every job has stress, but some work situations can be easier to handle than others. Good luck and I wish you well.

[SomethingCryptic]

I did this at the start of the year and am really glad that I did.

I should caveat this by saying that I have a really good relationship with my manager and that he is super supportive of his staff, so I knew the conversation would go well, but I was still supported much better than I would have expected.

I was offered working reduced hours for a while and then am encouraged to take time off work for some headspace after any particularly busy projects. They also helped balance the workload within the team a bit so that I don't get so overwhelmed.

We also have access to a few free therapy sessions at work if we need it which helped me start the journey I have been on this year.

The one thing I will say, is that outing myself at work initially made me feel absolutely awful for about a day because I was finally admitting to someone I knew that I was struggling and needed help. I'd definitely do it again though

[bogwitch in reply to SomethingCryptic]

I'm right at that first step. I'm being put on probation and even though I called out 3x in 2 months that my workload was unmanageable the company didn't give any support and had me working 12 hour days because they didn't feel my workload required assistance. Ended up with some egregious errors and now we're doing a deep evaluation. Feels like it's time to say something. especially since my doctor is pushing for FMLA. We serve the disabled community so I'm hoping that will mean they'll be receptive. Thank you for sharing your experience !

[SomethingCryptic in reply to bogwitch]

That sounds awful, I'm really sorry to hear that you've been treated that way. Nobody should be given the kind of workload that makes them work 12 hour days, regardless of what they have going on outside of work.

I agree with you that it's definitely time to say something. Perhaps if they are concerned about some potential repercussions from mistreating you then they might cut you some slack. Like you say we have this when it comes to the disabled community, so hopefully this applies to mental health too these days.

[Hidden]

You need to talk to your Doctor regarding this, Make a list of what is happening and any reasons why you are feeling the way you do. Getting your Doctor to give support and possible treatment may help you accept and understand why you are feeling the way you do especially if the problem seems to raise its head at certain regular times a year.

If it is all down to your job you may need to make a decision although if you know what the problem is you are half way there to approaching your problem and moving on, with help

BOB

[bogwitch in reply to Hidden]

I'm working with both my psychiatrist and therapist on it now but they aren't able to speak to how it is received in the work place and cannot give me real life experiences of those who have done this.

[Hidden]

Thank you for posting this. It has got me thinking. Even though I know that anxiety and depression are experienced by millions of people, I still tend to feel like I’m the only one and that I’m weird. I’ve never really even considered it something that I could ask for accommodations for! That makes it seem much more...”normal”. I like that!

[bogwitch in reply to Hidden]

That's a lot of what I'm unpacking with my therapist on it! I feel totally different and "lesser" because I "NEED accommodations" but I'm working to frame it like simple shifts in the worksite that make being my best/most productive self possible. It's not that I CAN'T be as productive as anyone else; it's that I have a medical condition that exists and if it's ignored then I fail. Imagine someone in a wheel chair not being able to climb stairs and then that making them a bad employee. If there's a ramp there's no difference! We're working to figure out what my ramp is. And gentler reminder these accommodations fall under ADA and will help protect you at work. An MD doctor can help provide a notice to your employer on what you need at work.

[Hidden]

That is an excellent reminder about the ADA! I’m going to tell my friend who had a note from her DR that she did not have to do certain things in her job because it caused her undue stress. The company didn’t honor that!

[Bluebeagle2020]

I am out at work with my depression but work for a small non-profit agency where it is safe to do so. I can only imagine that whether or not it is safe very much depends on the culture of your workplace. It shouldn't, but it does. Do you have anything in a personnel manual that gives you protection? Hoping that you are able to ask for accommodations. You are right in thinking that would be a healthier step. You do have protections under the ADA, but whether or not that is respected by your employer is a whole different thing. You may want to look at your options should it not go well, just to be prepared.

[Lizzy_Bear]

I wish you much luck with this. I applied for ADA accommodation for extreme anxiety with the help of my therapist and psychiatrist, and my workplace was not cooperative at all...I ended up quitting last week, and I really hated to do it because I actually like what I do...I like your analogy about finding out what your “ramp” is. That’s what I was trying to get them to understand.