Working with bipolar

I am at work right now and will respond more later. You are NOT alone. There are several of us here at Allnurses who battle bipolar and we are here to help. Hang in there!

OK. I'm home now and can give you a little more in-depth about how I personally have coped with BP on the job.

I was diagnosed only a couple of years ago, at age 53. I am bipolar 1 and have had a great deal of difficulty working with the severe mood swings (especially mania). Things reached critical mass at my DNS job back in April of last year because I was full-blown manic and having serious anxiety attacks to boot, and my psychiatrist gave me the choice of going out on medical leave of absence or being hospitalized.

Unfortunately, I didn't stay out long enough---three weeks were all I could afford---and within 2 hours of walking back in the door, I fell apart all over again and was sent home by the corporate nurse, who'd taken over my work while I was out. Three days later my employment was terminated, because the company had decided that they couldn't make the accommodations recommended by my p-doc and I certainly couldn't perform the duties of the position without them.

It took me six long months to stabilize after those events, and I wound up retiring from clinical nursing a couple of weeks ago because I really CAN'T handle it anymore. Fortunately, I had an application in with the state government for a position as a nursing home surveyor, and today was my first day. Not one of my new co-workers knows I'm bipolar, and there's no reason for them to know as I am in full remission and have a battle plan in place to help prevent mood episodes. This includes a rather alarming amount of medication, along with a regular schedule for sleeping and waking, and regular visits to my doctor for therapy and med management.

Bottom line: Do not, do not, do NOT go back to work until you are ready. This is one time where it doesn't matter what others think, you need to do what's best for YOU. It could be that the hospital jobs are triggering and you need to do a different type of nursing, and it sounds like you're either not on meds or they aren't working well. While we can't offer any medical advice, I do urge you to be proactive in dealing with your illness---educate yourself about bipolar disorder and talk with other people who live with it to learn their tips and tricks (you did well to start out here, and I hope there will be more responses soon).

I also would advise you not to discuss your mental health issues with your supervisors or co-workers when you do go back to work. I made that mistake, and forever after, I couldn't breathe in the wrong direction without some well-meaning person inquiring about the state of my mental health. It's a crying shame that we have to be so secretive about something that's just as much a part of us as brown eyes or flat feet, but the truth is, nursing is NOT kind to those of us with psychiatric issues.

I hope this helps at least a little. Again, you really are not alone.....don't be afraid to ask for help!