Poll Does Your PTSD Affect Your Employment Status?

[rt1967]

if that makes any sense

 

[rob_4760]

I've been off work for four and 1/2 years my doctors refuse to sign off. They are in the process of ending my work life. This is really when things are easily triggered. I loved catching people stealing it was the best job.

 

[txmomof3]

I am on disability for both physical and psychological reasons. Work and school were both great escape techniques for me. However, I got to the point where I completely decompensated...and there is no way I could work right now.

 

[Marine0311]

Work nights basically alone. I'm working right now! If I worked around people, I'd be fired ricky tic....

 

[Bella78]

My hubby with PTSD not only works full time but does this in his own business which he owns and operates alone.

Not only that, but the business was set up (lock stock and barrell, including fit out, equipments, systerms, etc) only weeks after his trauma. There was a lot of help from me naturally, but the oither thing is that we did lots of it oursleve to save money.

At the time (until only a couple of weeks ago) I did not realise how remarkable this was for him. Unfortunatley all i could see were the piles of "mistakes" he made and let him know too. A few days ago I told him how amazing he was that he had achieved what he has and he cried.

Unfortunalty things are not going well for him at work. Since he is inavoidance mode and has moved out of our home, not wanting my help or input in the business, it has gone down hill quite badly. I am not even sure how badly as he does not want me involved.

He badly needs a good rest, but he commits to work he just can't do and then has to work crazy hours to get it done, and that's never on time anyway. So he is not able to take a break now or anytime soon that I am aware of. Plus, the bills have piled up beyond belief and they don't get paid if work isn't being done.

It's all quite a big bad mess right now. But like I keep saying, to hell with it, he is the most important thing, nothing else, not even the business. Although it would destroy him it if all fell in a heap I think.

 

[Bella78]

To add, I have secondary trauma, and while this is not al all PTSD, I have personally found that as long as I can make it to work in the first place (which some days is very difficult or impossible, due to various states of depression or emotional exhaustion) it is the best thing for me. I love my job and my colleagues. They are all very understanding and lots of fun. When I am laughing at work I am always glad I made it in.

Although my concentration is pretty shocking some days, I still get a lot of satisfaction from it. I am told over and over that i am holding it together very well considering my situation and most of the time I tend to agree.

 

[mightsurvive]

I havent voted because i'm still waiting to find out how it will affect my job. It affects me because i often feel like i cant cope with work but then i love doing the teaching its self becuase the kids make me happy and make me stop thinking about myslef. I have told my emplioyers about my trauma and ptsd and they have been supportive. As i cant take meds anymore and my psychologist is too expensive and on long term sick leave anyway im not coping again. I told my boss this and she has arranged for me to have 6 counselling sessions which im going to take advantage of. So there are some great bosses out there. However, the paranoid side of me thinks that they are just offering this support to cover my backs and that really they just want rid of my because of my issues. So ill reserve judgement on your poll for now and let you know.
Take care

 

[Grama-Herc]

Did not vote because my PTSD has made me unemployable. I simply fail to show up for work most of the time. That is what finally caused me to enter tx and get diagnosed

 

[ruddy]

I work full time and then some. I tend to be a workaholic. That keeps me functioning in the logical world and helps me to avoid addressing anything emotional. Not exactly healthy . . . I guess ptsd manifests itself in different ways for each of us.

 

[TaraJ]

I think it just depends upon the person.
For years, I've been just pushing my symptoms way way down, and holding them there, at the bottom.
I make myself do what I have to do.
I need to, in order to feel as though I'm worth something.
I seem to feel worthless quite often. I have learned to defy what brings me down, and just to keep going no matter what. So I am in a full time position, managing a cosmetics counter at a retail store.
I do what I have to do, and being there with all those crazy girls, helps me keep my mind off of everything. The only problem is, once I get home, I'm falling apart again. At least I hold out for 8 hours.
I keep it under wraps the best that I can, but it does affect my relationship with my boyfriend. He doesn't understand how I can feel as though my life is meaningless and void and pained, when our home life is perfect, and we have each other to see at the end of each day. It doesn't make sense to him. I know he sees that I'm breaking apart at the seams, but I really don't know what I can do about it.
I have to keep my job, and as it seems, I can only block it all from my mind for so long. I don't have the strength to keep doing it after working all day. He sees me lying limp and all depressed-like on the couch, and it makes him very sad and confused.

 

[Roo]

Gulp...I am employed full-time, but am presently on a short-term medical leave. I had a terrible bout of flu in January which seemed to open a door to severe depression and a resurgence of PTSD symptoms -- I haven't experienced this in seven years. One of my best friends, who has PTSD, is on permanent disability. She's encouraging me to take this route -- she knows me very well and we had a frank conversation last week about my terribly checkered work history (lots of absences due to illness/exhaustion; been fired four times; mediocre performance reviews; always too slow for the frenzied expectations at work...etc.). I am feeling like a useless waste of time because I'm beginning to wonder if I can work full-time...I'm 48 years old; have had one job or another since I was 17, and I am, for the first time, seeing my work history from the perspective of PTSD and its effects. To put it bluntly (and I hope it's OK to use the "f" word in this context), I feel like a total ****-up in the working world. My predominant feeling is of being overwhelmed and most of my energy goes into keeping my head together and not looking like the mess I am inside. I come home feeling utterly ragged and exhausted every day; I work in an environment that is very negative -- autocratic leadership; constant pressure to perform, etc. I would love to hear from anyone who struggles like this with full-time employment. Thanks...Roo.

 

[linasmom]

*sigh* I work full-time right now but just had a break-down and cried, the first time in a very long time, and told my husband that it's just unbearable for me to work right now. We are discussing options - maybe short term disability through my employer. I just can't handle work right now and whenever I'm there all I can think about is walking out - which I have done with my previous three jobs.