They say a schizophrenic’s life span is shorter than normal people. I wonder if that affects how long we work. So here’s a poll with ages for those of you who work for pay. Volunteer work is good but you accomplish nothing in the quality of your daily living. So I only want to here from those of you who get paid:
0 voters
Volunteer work increases quality of living. We are social creatures, so having a good reason to hang around people will make you feel better, it’s just our instincts kicking in.
Yes. Ice……………
I don’t do paid work but live a great life with some volunteer work.
I work but after ssi deducts from my pay I pretty much just make enough an hour to pay for a cup of coffee, so I consider it volunteer work with benefits. Now if only I could get ssdi after working a few years… anyways this poll is rather odd… I personally don’t feel that anyone would retire early with the expectation that they’ll die young?? Plus I’m really healthy, I don’t see how I’d die under 60 at this rate. Focus on being healthy.
Not doing anything, be it a hobby that takes up a lot of time, work, or volunteering, is the quickest way to an early grave.
I want to work full time, it’s just not feasible at the moment.
Don’t be so hard on yourself. Maybe you can work your way up to more hours! I personally enjoy having free time and use it to do stuff like exercise or go to support group. Plus FT you could loose your benefits.
The point I’m making about volunteer work is that it’s difficult to nearly impossible to get married, have kids, buy houses in a decent part of town, buy a good car, or do many things normal people do if that’s all you do all of your life unless you find a “sugar daddy”, or “sugar mommy” to do it for you or your relatives support you. Volunteer jobs make you feel better about yourself, and yes they’ll keep you in better mental and physical shape but they don’t pay the bills. Congratulations to the 25% of you 50 and older who took the poll so far. Theoretically you beat the odds.
I had a choice when I was diagnosed. Live on benefits or work. I was homeless sleeping in my sisters loft and the benefits took months to come through. After 6 months I found out my accommodation would only be for a year in supported housing. I flipped and moved back to my parents and started working with family.
6 years on I am tired of it all and contemplating killing myself as I am not in a financial position to be on benefits unless I undo all the hard work I have done for all that time. I have no idea how I am going to tackle this dilemma.
If you are not making some sick joke you could invest it and take your chances, or give it to family members or maybe a charity. Or here’s an idea: Pick up a significant other and have fun with her or him and blow it all on a wild date.
What do you mean by that? Why would anyone make a joke like that?
If you lived on benefits all your life like I have you’d see that you probably have it better than me. I was put on benefits at 24 and missed out on a lot of stuff. I understand it if your voices got a lot worse, and you fear you would not survive during the time you were changing over to having benefits but it sounds like a bit of a joke that you can’t take any more of something you are afraid of losing.
I fall under “below 40,” so that’s what I voted, though I turn 40 next month. I have always worked, other than during my one year of med school, and a few brief periods of being involuntarily unemployed. I collected unemployment compensation for about a month and a half last year.
Well you clearly don’t understand what it’s like to have built up a life to find you’re on the edge of losing it all.
May seem like a joke to you but really it’s serious and I don’t find that or your comments helpful
I’m sorry they weren’t helpful. I hope someone can help you.
Well the fact is they can’t unless I completely screw myself over financially to be eligible for incapacity benefits.
I made the wrong decision to work. It’s not about who has the better life. Right now I am in a position where I am increasingly unable to function at work, and going backwards very fast.
I only earn enough to cover my bills, and I don’t get sick pay
I know how you feel! I was working a job I liked when I got another episode. Fortunately I got a lawyer and my increased symptoms and emergency room visits got me on disability pretty fast. One year later, I’m working again but have disability to supplement income. I hope you find the right meds to keep working well again or get ssdi, whatever is most advantageous to you… you can save as much money as you want on ssdi, you know.
Sorry @anon62973308 that you have gone through this. I am at the start of another blip but this time it’s too much and I have no idea what to do.
I might have to flush my meds down the toilet as I want to take an overdose
Call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255.
You could check into a mental hospital. Ask them how to get back on benefits. I’m sure they can help you.
I was told by a few doctors at the outset of my illness that I wouldn’t obtain an education, career, spouse, family, etc. I still succeeded. I’m even successful by neurotypical standards. I strongly feel that many more SZs would be successful if the medical community weren’t dashing their hopes early on. One can recover from SZ, but recovering from stolen hope is harder.