I was thinking of getting a job. My last Job was 2003. I was bullied and mobbed got fired because I wrote 100 letters. Started having mental problems in 2008. Started daydreaming of cutting my arm and hurting people. I also was convinced that the c.e.o of this company could heal me. I finally stopped thinking it for a year now. I think I’m ready to go back but not sure what to say on application or during interview.
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I have been looking for a job since December and telling the interviewers that I have schizophrenia wasn’t working. I’m not looking for a job at the moment because I got a chronic sciatica.
I declined some jobs because I felt it would be better to work more with people, instead of being in a job where I keep myself wirking hidden in a office. I also declined a job where I would have to work with kids (I think it would be too much stress for me).
So yeah, despite I defended the idea of not being ashamed of telling people you have schizophrenia, I think you don’t need to show it to the interviewer (unless he or she asks about it).
Are you on meds and stable now?
Yes. I take lamotrigine. Citalopram. And quetiapine fumarate. I did have one daydream a over a month ago of cutting my arm but it was brief. It used to last an hour. It only lasted for 15 min. I haven’t daydreamed of hurting anyone in two years and the one about the ceo healing me in a year.
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Good luck on your job search! I haven’t worked in three years, and my job history is pretty sketchy. I left my last few jobs without any notice because of medical reasons. I have no references, so I have just started volunteering in order to get some. I hope to start looking for a part time job this fall once I’ve earned those references. After a year, I hope to start school again, and once I’m done with my MBA, I’d like to work full time. I don’t know if I’ll succeed with this plan, but I’m holding out hope.
I don’t plan to tell anyone about having sza. As long as I am stable, they don’t need to know my medical problems. In my experience, it is a deterrent, and although employers aren’t supposed to, they do discriminate against people with MI.
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I also used to have uncontrollable laughter. But I haven’t had that since 2008 when I started treatment. My in laws was dying and I laughed for two hours. It wasnt funny at all but serious.
Anyway I had laughter since I was five.it was 1982. My parents refused to take me to a doctor. But no daydreams until 2008.
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Thats very good, it is traumatizing to have a psychotic episode at work…
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Ooops- I haven’t worked in 5 years, not 3.
I posted the answer to your question about meds and me being stable. In the post I listed the meds and the last daydream of me hurting myself was over a month.do you think I’m ready for a job? I was thinking McDonalds. I worked fast food and factory. The factory is where I was bullied and a bank is where the daydreams happened.
That’s OK. I was thinking McDonalds.
Something you need to think about. How are you going to get health insurance to pay for your meds?
I am scared to leave the house by myself. My pdoc told me that if I am able to leave the house alone, regularly, for one month, that I would be okay to start looking for opportunities to do things out of the house. That’s why I started volunteering. I have only had trouble a couple of time this past month. My biggest obstacle right now is hygiene and lack of motivation. But I’m at the one month period. Maybe a month is good for you, too.
I’m on disability and have medicare right now. That might be taken away if I work. How much money will the meds be without insurance? Does anyone know? Will I get insurance at McDonald’s?
Hygiene was an issue too. When I was out of it. Having daydreams three to four times a day I was taking a bath and brushing my hair once a month. Now its three times a week. Brushing my hair twice a week. Brushing my teeth twice a week.
I started having trouble with hygiene since I was 15 years old.
You have to work full time to get insurance at McDonald’s, and you still have to buy it.
Yes I read your post, do you think you can handle it? You’ll have to be very quick and meet many people at McD.
I worked at a McDonald’s when I was 16. I was very, very friendly with people. I found that being nice to them made them react positively to me, even when something went wrong with their order. I worked there for two years and was never once yelled at by a customer. It isn’t easy, though. During rushes, it is hectic and can be overwhelming. I was promoted to STAR (can’t remember what it stands for) where I headed up all fundraising activities for the franchise owner for all of his stores. That was even more hectic. You have to be able to take orders, handle a cash register, clean, restock supplies, deal with unhappy or impatient customers, and cope with bosses who may be total jerks (and what’s worse- they may be really young jerks who have a sense of entitlement because they were given a management role). Sometimes, you have to do all of these things simultaneously.
Staying friendly and positive is the best advice I can offer you. It goes a long way with customers, coworkers, and managers. Even when someone is being mean to you, take it in stride and don’t let it get you down. If you can handle it with a smile on your face, you will be fine at the end of the day. Trust me, friendliness is critical.
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I would like to try. I am a little nervous about the many people. Keeping up and what if I have a daydream during work. that’s the two things I’m mostly worried about. But I really want to try. I did well in fast food between 15 and 18. But now I’m 42. So its been a while since I did fast food. But I want to try.
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I haven’t worked since 2010, so my work history sucks. Ironically, I was a Registered Dietitian with my Master’s degree but really enjoyed my days working at a convenience store more than anything. I liked the steady pace and always knowing what needed to be done each day and when it had to be done. I think maybe working at McDonald’s might be the same for you if you enjoyed working there before, you know what to expect.
Good luck, it can’t hurt to try! 
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