• 💖 [Donate To Keep MyPTSD Online] 💖 Every contribution, no matter how small, fuels our mission and helps us continue to provide peer-to-peer services. Your generosity keeps us independent and available freely to the world. MyPTSD closes if we can't reach our annual goal.

Poll Does Your PTSD Affect Your Employment Status?

How does your PTSD affect your employment status?

  • Full-time

    Votes: 96 30.5%
  • Part-time

    Votes: 30 9.5%
  • Self-employed

    Votes: 28 8.9%
  • Resting

    Votes: 161 51.1%

  • Total voters
    315
Status
Not open for further replies.
It looks like I am in a similar situation as others here which eases my mind a little. I did work for 10 yrs at the same office job which was probably ideal situation for me because I was pretty much left alone to do my job. But that company downsized and laid us all off in the Spring. From there I was hired and fired from two jobs in the past 6 months. Fired for slow learning as they put it.

I have physical problems which led my dr to order me to apply for disability over 2 years ago which I refused. After I lost the two latest jobs my Vocational counselor and also two doctors ordered me to file for SSDI for both physical, PTSD and brain injury reasons. So I'm resting at the moment in the middle of filing for PTSD. Haven't been out of work for 6 months so I haven't bothered filing as I was told I have to be not working for 6 months straight at least. This is really hard for me because I have worked the past 15 years straight with barely any vacation time even so I don't know what to do with myself at home. Being at home has sunken me deeper into depression and I have worse PTSD than when I was working. Though at my last job I cried in the car before going in every day and sometimes cried and shaked on the job which was in manufacturing instead of the office work I was accustomed to. So it probably is best I'm not at that job, but it feels weird not earning a paycheck.
 
I wrote part time because at the moment I´m in a program that is supposed to find out how much I´m capable of working. My GP wants me on partial disability - and unfortunatly I fear that she is right.

I used to work full time - and more - but now I must realise that I don´t have the energy. So it is god to be in a program that does not pressure me over my limit - well - the only one who does that once in a while is me ;-(
 
I work 32-40 hours a week and today I received an email from the president of the corporation, saying he has heard a lot about me and that he appreciates what I do within the company. Wow. My big boss called and asked me to put a good word in for her. I am pretty shocked.

This is why. I have been having a hard time, and I am tired. I have been sick and I think it is PTSD sick. It is hard to finish all I need to do in a day. I apply techniques everyday to cope. Lately, I have needed to pull back more, with breaks, getting away behind a closed door, going for walks in the FREEZING cold. I have had troubles covering my symptoms at work.

But I still got a personal letter from the pres. That makes me happy for sure. Day by day, that is what it is for me. I don't have confidence in the future. But this day is good.
 
Congratulations Flame!

You can have confidence in the 'future' when each day is managed so well, I'd say!
That would exceed anyone's expectations- definitely a "success story" that can give us all hope.

Good for you!
:)
 
I have almost always worked at something for the last 38 years. But it has been an awful lot of different somethings. And every one I considered temporary until I found something I liked better or that would pay more, with the goal of making enough money in a hurry so I could take some time off. Never have been very good at being supervised, and lots of my jobs were of the type that required little supervision. Never had a job that I liked well enough to consider it a career.

I'm not working now, living on money I saved in my last lousy job. Since I finally melted down a couple of months ago and admitted maybe I do have PTSD, I have been such a basket case I don't know if I could work if I had to. I guess when the savings are gone, I'll find out.

There sure are a lot of interesting things to think about on this web site. I'm grateful that I found it.
 
unknowingly disclosed my PTSD dx

piglet,
i managed to work for 16.5 years with my symptoms. however, after a hospitalization in Feb of this year I had the wrong doctor sign my release and my job found out. needless to say, my health went downhill and my employer well not enough words for that. at this point, after another hospitalization in Oct I've been on short term disability and am waiting for long term disability decision upon which point I'll lose my job.
 
I voted full time but I have just been sacked. I was a lawyer - but hey ho word gets around. I couldn't hide my PTSD from my employer. They got rid of me for "risk management" reasons.
In some ways I have been a workaholic like I was making up for what was wrong with me. In others I can see that my personal life went to dust because all I did was focus on work.
I have lost my career and my daughter because of my illness. Sometimes I can see positives that I grab onto and most of the time I make the most of each day and keep smiling. I was diagnosed 2 years ago and employment has been a struggle. Even a phone being slammed down can be a trigger.
Biggest Hugs to anyone who has suffered the same x
 
I wish I could say fulltime longterm, but my jobs seem to be limited in length.
The longest I worked was about 5 years and I worked two jobs and sometimes would be more than that. Lived off of 4 hours a night and catnaped when exhausted.

There were moments during that time though that I would go through trigger times of distrust of my co workers but worst of all would be my employer.
There came a point that during counselling my counsellor suggested I see a lawyer, seems my boss was covering for an abusive supervisor. Would guilt me not into action because they had a prior loyalty and she would say 'he was old'.
Oddly when I went to human resources they panicked. He openly acknowledge he would verbally abuse me and even had been seen raising his hand to me. Then he was shocked that everyone stopped supporting him.
I soon left the job.
I have a problem when I see lies and misdeeds happening in a company. I will even go as far as to report it to get change. but most companys do not want to correct this. To their loss.
I then become very discourage and have no desire to be there.

I guess its the promise of never wanting to be in a untrustworthy situation again.

This has happened recently.
 
Oh man! It does! I have the worst anxiety, I have been trying to overcome my anxieties so that I can get a job for nearly 4-5 years now. I am now 19, no job, and am leaving this summer pretty soon. And all I can think of is...I'm screwed, sometimes I still break down and cry, but that's when Shamsi reminds me how we'll get through it, and the guidance counselor at school says we'll work on it. My aim is low, a dishwasher, working my way towards the top while I scrape up some money to become a professional dog trainer/healer/life coach/whatever none of which mean I'll go to college for years o_O if very much at all.
 
I used to be able to work and did, boy did I ever! No days off, and no days off sick ...high achiever, hard worker...totally (I can't think what the word is), not absorbed....mmm, I can't think of the word...but you get the idea threw myself in with everything I had. Almost totally all or nothing. (I still can't think of the word-damn it!) I really hate when words are falling out of my head.

I do believe working for me was a distraction, and it did kind of work, for a long time anyway.

Now I am not able to really function properly at all.
During the time my son was growing up I was pretty much able to keep some kind of lid on the PTSD but the depression got worse. I miss that keeping everything up in the air. I was able to juggle so much at the same time. Multi-task...totally. And now...all gone -everything a major problem and forget multi-tasking.

About a year before my son left I had undertaken psychotherapy (I have gone on about this at length so I won't do it here), but needless to say it finished me off as far as working was concerned - I find it impossible to get out on my own now.

At one point a few years ago I was studying at Uni and keeping house and bringing up my son alone (single parent from the get-go). At one point there was building work going on (for over 8 months) and still, living in one room dog to walk ...everything kept it all going totally...my mum was ill I had to go look after her on and off (until she went into hospital) and a wedding...nothing could stop me...I managed to keep going for quite a while even after I found out about my husband. (Of course I think maybe I would have known quicker if I hadn't been so busy. Maybe should finish this in my diary- copy and paste again-SORRY, I have to stop going off)

And then it all came crashing down...I keep hoping that I will get my shit together to be able to get back out there one day. It just feels like a long way away.

I hate being stuck here, I was a very outgoing person and loved work, I felt very ashamed when I wasn't able to any longer. And am still struggling with amongst other things the shame of how my life has shut down. It also feeds into feeling worthless.

I never had to relie on anyone once, and now I, well now its all different and I hate it. I hate what this has done to me.
I couldn't even look at doing the poll. While I could have marked it working at one time (despite PTSD)...now I just feel even more humiliation at my situation. Sorry. If this was someone else I would not be so harsh on them (hey I wouldnt be harsh at all)...because it is me-no chance. And I know that is something I should really find some way to work on.
 
The only way I can run my own business is to tell myself it is an entity apart from myself and I owe it my work ethic. To be there when it is supposed to be open and to do the best job I can so it will succeed. Most days... I can't generate enough interest in anything to propel myself off of my behind. My business I can do that for, but not for myself... Does that make sense?

Lately I've been thinking... my business needs a dress code. Mine sucks.
 
Hi piglet. I am glad you want to work, it is good for people with PTSD to stay actively involved with the outside world, at least, it's helpes me, I'm always better when I don't isolate.

But with work.....my job is very stressful and my environment is too and it really wears me down. I stay for the health insurance, and the much needed money (such as it is), or otherwise I really would go do something nice like playing with puppies or arranging flowers.

My coworkers, staff, and boss stress me out daily, some on purpose, and some of it is just the way things are. I used to cope by talking to my dad, he was really good at office politics, and he knew me so well - he was my crazy meter..."am I crazy or"...but he's not available anymore and I have lately felt adrift without that guidance. I have been scoping out replacements....but my fear of trusting myself not to pick a predator or bully has stopped me.


I want to work. And I will as long as I can. But I think I will never really enjoy it more than a minute or two here and there.

Thank you for this thread. I am remembering being 18 and driving each morning to a job I loved with all my heart. I felt so free, so happy. It was good. I wish it had lasted. But, it was good.

Cat
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top