i understand some people say they decompensate when under too much stress and cant handle full time work. what are some examples of this? what are your specific reasons you can do part time but not full time? i’m just curious of people’s experiences.
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I don’t work but I probably could handle 10-15 hours a week. Maybe more if the job was like a pizza delivery driver because it seems low key and all just driving around with food and stuff.
But I know if I had to be on the clock working for a boss on a m-f 9-5, I’d get really stressed and paranoid and symptomatic and over thinking everything. In public too long sounds kind of scary to me. I could manage but it makes me uncomfortable.
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I am on long term disability SSDI and work 16 hours per week. It’s a security surveillance job at a casino. It’s low stress and very easy. I stay on disability because my children have medical insurance through my disability benefits. Also I make more money than if I would go full time at the job I have now. Plus I have medicare.
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I’m on SSDI and I’m looking for part-time work. Something like 10-15 hours a week. I don’t think I could handle full-time work – my anxiety would spike. So I think I could make decent money working part-time + SSDI benefits
you are giving practical reasons to keep benefits. i understand that, but it ignores the more relevant questions of whether you are able, and thus can or should try full time. i too would prefer to stay on benefits, but the ethical question bothers me. as i said in another thread, i guess social security can make the ultimate decision and i should stick with part time.
do you think you could work full time? why or why not?
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I don’t think I could work full time because even medicated my symptoms will most likely come back again and I may need time off work. So having SSDI income is helpful. I have been hospitalized 5 times for mental illness within the last seven years. I fear it’s bound to happen again. I addition it would give added stress of having to rely on a job for income. Right now I don’t have to rely on my job if something were to happen. Although the extra income does help.
im not working but if I had no social safety net I guess I would force myself to work full time. I worked for 12 years before I got sick and a little while afterwords. working adds a lot of stress and is not healthy for me as I have no time to eat healthy, keep up with house chores, and exercise. also I lose sleep when I have to work.
I feel like most of the jobs around here are dependent on people working and employees are replaceable to them. not flexible on hours, not great pay, not enough vacation. I feel used when I work, it doesn’t bring me pride or satisfaction. Im pro union now, so I only really consider jobs where I will have representation, even if its just working at a grocery store.
if I were high skilled and compensated well I guess I would feel a little different about work. but im generally not. disability is better with a little side income. much healthier for me mentally and physically.
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I’m still fighting for my disability I haven’t been able to hold a full time job for two years for long term. I have to many emotional problems and my anxiety gets so bad I can hardly talk.
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My parents really raised me wrong in terms of teaching me hard work. I can’t do it…Except when comes to my music. And plus at this point I don’t feel competent enough and I feel too broken to actually work like that ever.
My mom grew up real poor actually, my dad grew up just as I did, but he was very successful in life, probably well he didn’t have sz and my dad is from a different time period where expectations were different and stuff and idk. So when I was born my dad never questioned how he should raise me. He thought everything would be alright I think just on blind faith kind of living in a bubble.
And my mom
Wanted to give me stuff
That she didn’t have as a kid.
My parents forgot to forecast that life doesn’t end at 17 years old. It seems that way to me at least.
And I have tons of anxiety and paranoia. Ughhhhhhh
At this point I’d rather be homeless than the idea of having to fend for myself at this age and make enough money and whatnot to stay afloat. That sounds like the ultimate challenge and homelessness doesn’t sound nearly as bad to me.
Ideally one day maybe I’d live in a group home agaiN
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My job originally was 24 hours. That was too stressful, so now i work 18 hours a week. I also care for my son parttime.
I just cant cope with more…i dont have the energy, the concentration, the executive and cognitive function, the stress resilience, etcetera. Even this is a challenge…i need all the other days to rest and calm down, to process things, to do household chores. I often plan work on my “good days”, when im emotionally stable.
I dont feel guilty at all…they didnt even require me to work. I work as much as i can.
Even if i need to quit there is no guilt. I try my best.
Fatigue exhaustion motivation lowered, emotional distress/stress
Thus risk of relapse too
I wish I could do full time but at least not atm
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My last job was a call center. It was way too much speaking in the background. I got hella paranoid.
Negative symptoms. Not feeling well or functioning like other people without mental illness. It’s a disability.
It’s most likely too hard on most with a diagnoses like this to work full time. Too much dammage is done to the brain and it’s just really hard.
You need to lay off.
I did trial full time work period and had to get back o disability after a year.
There’s no ethical violations.
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I agree this isnt an ethical issue where people with schiz can actually work full time and choose not to. That’s just not what is really going on here.
I work full time and am no longer receiving SSDI but if I lost my job or if my income went down I could get it for the next three years.
I was financially secure before I went back to work. Trying to go back to work was a choice I made for myself. It is hard but I have to try.
I didn’t necessarily need a job I just want one.
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I’m on SSDI and depend on it for rent and food and other expenses. I might try part time supplemental work AFTER I’ve gone at least 12 months without a hospitalization. Until then I attend my day program and do a little volunteer work to keep me busy. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to hold down a full time job cuz I decompensate quickly under stressful situations.
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