I started a new job and I'm afraid of discrimination

So I work as a Peer Support Specialist and it’s not a new job, but we just got an office so no longer working from home. What a peer support specialist does is basically you have a mental disability and you are also helping others with a disability.

Today was our first day in office and we were going around the room talking about our situations. Most of the other people had bipolar. When it came to me I just said at one point I took adderall and started to hallucinate so now I take medication. This is true, I never officially had a diagnosis of schizophrenia, but I almost didn’t even get the job at the medical physical because they wrote down what meds I took and needed a note from my doctor that I could work.

I’m afraid as time goes on they might get to know me more and find out to what degree I actually hear voices and they might be afraid of me. I’ve had mixed luck with the meds in the past so I could have trouble in the future. I don’t want to have an episode and have them wondering what’s going on with me. I’ve had to work a job through episodes before when I was doing menial work.

It would be bizarre if you encountered discrimination for having a mental disability if having one is part of the job description.

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It would be bizarre. But schizophrenia is more biased against in public than other mental conditions.

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I don’t know your location, but in the US we have really good anti discrimination laws when it comes to work.

Maybe read up on your country’s laws so the ball is in your corner if your employer tries pulling a fast one on you.

Kinda weird though how they don’t hire more schizophrenics.

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It’s highly unlikely but it happens you got the job because you have personal experience and you’re able to help others like yourself. Lucky I applied for several positions and never got to interview stage for peer support worker

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I’m in the US. 15

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I hope it works out ok. I understand what you mean about the stigma against people who hallucinate etc. just show them you can do the job and hopefully they won’t discriminate against you

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