First off I want to rant that I don’t think being able to hold a job and being high functioning correlates. If you do a google search, research shows how strong your illness is and whether or not you can work do not correlate. I think it comes down to finding the right job. I’ve had jobs paying almost the same rate where one was way too much pressure for me and another was fairly easy. I once held a job where I just typed the number I saw on the screen all day and there were breaks almost every 5 minutes and it was easy. I feel many of us could do that. Or, if not, there is always part time work and work at home to try. There are all kinds of jobs out there from telemarketing to programming to working with the mentally ill to doing data entry to stay at home bookkeeping. I am sure you can find something that suits you…
I have felt hopeless for just under two weeks now. I want to think I can work again someday, though. I just don’t know at this point. Everything seems to be fighting against me.
Well what is keeping you from trying…? Maybe you can start off with something part time or volunteering in a field that interests you. Try going to Dvr and seeing if they can help you with narrowing your goals and working on school or job training options.
I have recently started volunteering at an assisted care facility in their hospital ward/ nursing home section. I am going there tomorrow at 1:00 pm, matter of fact. That is my first step in getting a job. I need references, and volunteering is a good way to get them while also testing the waters to see if I can be reliable.
Vocational Rehabilitation won’t work with me because I have two degrees already. The lady who was assigned to me said that they won’t train me as a result. She also insinuated that I would have a really hard time getting a job because of my sketchy job history and lack of references. She made me feel awful. I don’t want their help.
If you mean paying jobs, yes I’ve completely given up, at least for now. I’ve tried many times with different kinds of jobs but all failed no matter how much I was motivated to work. I realized it wasn’t the matter of effort nor motivation so I gave it all up and decided to focus on what I can do now: housework, studies, exercising to maintain health, etc. which makes me feel much much better about myself. I don’t know if I can get better enough to hold a job one day but even if it doesn’t happen, I think I’ll accept it as my life. I’m so happy now that I’ve come so far because I could’ve gotten worse. Anyway I don’t think about work at all now.
Sometimes I get motivated to work.
Like now I want to drive part time for Uber.
Before I got sick I drove an 18 wheeler cross-country, so this would be another driving job.
I can’t tell if I’m delusional/manic or what is going on.
I’m going to give it some time to see if it’s something I really want to do.
Yes, I don’t ever plan on working. I have nothing to gain from that anymore. If someone is feeling guilty about not being able to work, just get over it. Schizophrenia is very disabling and most with it can’t work.
I wanted to work, felt the social pressure to do so, but psychosis and other problems (negative symptoms and complications from negative symptoms) blocked all attempts. The longest I’ve worked the same job is about five months. Pitiful by normie standards. I think I’ve given up.
I managed to hold down a job for two years once. I missed a lot of days, but my boss never marked me as absent and gave me full pay. He also let me work from home sometimes. When I would come back the next day, he would ask how “working from home” was and use air quotes around the phrase because he never sent me any work when I was at home. I wish I could get that job back. I really liked it, and it paid really well.
I plan to work part-time at least. I don’t like doing nothing all day like I did this summer.
I don’t blame people for no longer wanting to work but 5 months is quite good by sz standards and if you work 5 months every year even, you might eventually find a job you can really stick to. Idk I personally see the merits of not working but can’t seem to process in my mind that I will never work again. I don’t have disability so not working is not an option…
@ZombiePupper yeah I feel the same way about doing nothing. It just isn’t good for me and the least demanding activity I can think of doing is at least going out to coffee or support group.
Thanks, but that was the record, not really an average. I’ve worked as little as a week at the same job. It’s tough, very tough. That was my first job out of high school so I didn’t have the immediate comfort of a safety net, and the promise of divine retribution in the form of my parents if I screwed it up.
It’s sad, they kinda got used to me failing.
I hope I can work someday through my psychosis and negative symptoms, but motivation is poor at the moment. I appreciate the encouragement.
You may be right about working and being high functioning not correlating. I think it’s that working opens so many doors socially and financially.
I hope to be able to work part time eventually. But I have some physical issues right now that I don’t think it’s a good idea to try yet. I tried unsuccessfully many years ago. I was on meds that were very sedating.
I worked at Goodwill for a few months sorting stuff and helping load the trucks and other stuff. I don’t really see it as an accomplishment. They basically had to let me work or at least didn’t have the highest standards. It was like temp work, basically. I was making I think about .50 to 1.00.
Much of the time working seems like something that will never happen.
I am on my 9 month trial work period for SSDI right now. So far I am not sure what I will ask for in my review or what they will say but I am trying to work full time for now. We shall see
I just feel like there is so much social pressure to work. Everywhere you look there are programs to help get the mentally ill back into employment like therapy, support groups, case managers, Dvr, non profit programs, etc. There are even programs that let you work minimum wage and keep 100% of your benefits. Peer specialist might be a easy job that hires exclusively the mentally ill. You can find a higher paying job than goodwill…
Yeah, I was pretty bitter about that as I wasn’t hired in (I would’ve probably made minimum wage) and I didn’t get a job. I worked very hard and sometimes the work was physical.
If they have peer specialist jobs in Ohio, that might be something to look into. I think I had best at least live independently myself first though.
From everything I’ve heard BVR and their program with Goodwill is much better now. As in they do more to help.
Keep in mind, the time I failed was during Bush’s recession too. (I am not a lad in the literal sense)
@anon62973308 There is a lot of pressure to work! I keep getting sent information about the Ticket to Work program from disability. Conversations often center around one’s employment. I feel pressured to work because I feel like if I don’t, I won’t have a decent retirement with my husband. I don’t even know how that’s going to work because he’s 13 years older than I, and I’ll have to retire quite early to enjoy retirement with him. My extended family always wants to know why I’m not working. I know that they think less of my dad because he’s on disability, and it makes me wonder what they think of me. If you aren’t working, you don’t measure up.
Yes no doubt but it is different in different groups. Most of my high school and college friends are quite successful now but even friends who are doctors sometimes would still make friends with me and are quite accepting of my illness. No one thinks less of me. But among my mom’s friends there is big stigma. Anyways, I wouldn’t be too bothered by what other people think. I’m trying to encourage working because I think it is a good thing to have in life. If you have sz, it is very hard to still care about being “at the top” because you cannot compete with high functioning normal people much of the time. I hope you do work because it is great for recovery and great financially. I think your volunteer job is a great start. If I were you I might let go of the pressure and hang out with others who no longer take life too seriously. It is hard to be too serious when you are mentally ill because you will never win.
My back up plan for working, if I can’t make it to CFO or head of HR because of stress, is to just be a financial analyst or executive assistant again. Office manager, administrative assistant, anything along those lines would be fine. I think I could be happy with that. But I’m still aiming high. 
I don’t work but maybe one day I will go back to it.
Everyone’s brain is different.
I worked from about the age of 16 to the age of 27 before I got really ill.
I’m unsure who would really want to hire me at my age now, and the big gap in unemployment.
I do have sort of a routine I stick to everyday though.