To think that you will never be successful career wise if you have certain mental health problems and will remain in low paid jobs even if you are otherwise capable / bright?

[AmountedToNothing]

This is me. It's so frustrating and makes me feel so sad. I am forever skint and just having a job even if it's just nmw feels like an achievement sometimes but I see my friends and family moving upwards whilst I'm left behind counting the pennies with no.chance of ever progressing. Life has been cruel to me and I struggle with it everyday as I look at how it affects my dear children. They deserve a better quality of life.
I feel I have been robbed of my life.

I'm just needing to rant.

@amountedtonothing Even so they may be able to fund something else. Have you been assessed by your CMHRS/CMHT recently?

Evidence based means it has been proven to work, it's funded by NICE because it's got a decent success rate for whatever problem it's designed to treat. E.g. there is a great evidence base for CBT for OCD but not traditional counseling. You wouldn't take antibiotics for diabetes...etc.

I think with the right support people can be successful career-wise with many mental health problems, but it certainly sounds like you aren't getting the right support from all quarters, so I'm sorry that's the case for you, and hope you can find more.

I have extreme anxiety, social anxiety/phobia and agoraphobia. I haven't told my work about these issues (I'm a dental nurse) and I find it slightly refreshing sometimes. I don't worry about what they're thinking about my MH because they don't know about it. However, I was asked to go on a trip abroad, they said I didn't have to go butbif was fully paid for and they thinking would be fun. I knew straight away there was no chance and they gave me quite a hard time when I said no thank you.

I think not telling my work has helped, and I can do as many courses as I like to become a specialist nurse (trying to choose my subject at the moment)

But I do know how you feel, if that makes sense.

YANBU. I could've written your post. I've had MH issues my whole life, well first became obvious age 12/13. It has blighted my life and I've never achieved what I should've done. There have been times where it's been better controlled than others but this is mostly down to my efforts, medication has never been fully effective. I've tried every antidepressant, several mood stabilizers and anti-psychotics. Had lots of therapy over the years, although not much is available now. I'm currently going through a bad patch and don't really see the point of asking for help as there is nothing they can do.

I do have a job earning above nmw, although not by that much. I'm currently on mat leave and at the moment I couldn't cope with going back.

It's tough and you have my sympathy

Depression and borderline personality disorder here. Have to declare as I'm a teacher. Hasn't stopped my career at all. I'm very open about it to colleagues and students if it's appropriate. Some students really really appreciate knowing that mh isn't something I feel the need to hide, that they're not alone and that it hasn't been a barrier to a career.

Yanbu. I was told I should go to Uni but I struggled through school (aspie and anxiety) so went straight into YTS in retail. Not ideal for me really.
Then onto office admin/data entry....fine so long as I had minimal interaction.
I never had difficulties learning new systems/processes. The troubles came with people and office politics. I've worked in over 100 offices, all of which I've left owing to the above issues.
I'm intelligent but my mental health is a sieve. It all leaks out and I'll never advance as I would have if I was intelligent AND normal.
It does piss me off.

What kind of therapy did you try?

I had such severe social anxiety that I was virtually housebound and unable to work for nearly a decade.

After a lot of hard work and really pushing myself and putting my all into intense CBT, I am now fully recovered and have climbed the career ladder to manager so far

It can be done. It’s never over. I used to think there was no hope for me and I was very wrong! That kind of thinking doesn’t help it just hinders.

OP, my husband has severe MH issues and has been on antidepressants since he was a teen. He has extreme social phobia, anxiety, depression, and horrendous self-esteem issues. He’s been hospitalized in the past. He also has Aspergers which really impacts on his social interactions. He’s a hedge fund manager and pretty successful. It’s a stressful environment.

I don’t know how he does it but he works in a large company so there has to be other people who work with him who also have MH issues.

I understand how debilitating MH problems can be, but please don’t write yourself off. Take any help available to you, and explore therapies.

I think it depends on a) how the MH condition affects you, b) the demands of the job, c) the ammount of support you have both In and out of work and d) what you consider to be success.

I have what I consider a successful career however recently have had a couple of bad years since developing PTSD (successfully treated) and my employer has recently tried to demote me due to sickness/attendance despite telling me that I am excellent at my job when well.

DH has more severe MH problems and holding down a NMW job PT is a massive achievement for him despite him being very intelligent and hard working.

It's not an even playing field and for some people staying well and out of hospital is a massive achievement.

RolandDeschainsGilly thats brilliant- you must be so proud of yourself

ShortandSweet96 can i ask how do you deal with the everyday chatting with patients and colleagues? Do you do well in interviews? I come across badly and really am not good at selling myself. it fills me with dread and i am am so nervous and my mind just goes blank.

Kemer2018 gosh- retail sounds like my nightmare job. i really wanted a saturday job as a student but couldn't face interviews. my first job i got was when i was 22.

WhatToDoAboutWailmerGoneRogue omg- you were housebound and now a manager?? thats amazing! please please tell me how you did it. What did you do? I could so learn from others who have been through similar. What helped you the most? Sorry about the million questions but sometimes I literally feel like im the only one with this crappy illness as I dont know anyone else I can talk to.

AmountedToNothing - I didn't really have much choice! Before this job, I had some time spent unemployed due to being in hospital and then when I started I needed quite a bit of time off for appointments. Like @knittedjest 's daughter, I have schizoaffective disorder and it's very disruptive at times.

I have been lucky in that I have a very supportive DH and parents who gave me a lot of support and kept me going financially while I got my health back on track - so @knittedjest - you don't know what the future holds for your daughter! I was told 7 years ago that I'd never be well enough to work again. I did have to retrain at one point - the career I once wanted to work in wasn't feasible with my health - and I know there are loads of jobs I couldn't do. OP - maybe do a really serious assessment of the things that trigger you, the things you can work around, and the strengths you have and what you have to offer because I'm sure there's loads.

Also, if you can't get a high earning job, that is OK too - my stepmother can't work due to her health (spinal injuries, not MH in her case) but she does volunteer work, she is an amazing grandmother and wife and mother, she is a great friend - she is a really important person to so many people, as I'm sure are you. Paid work doesn't have to define you.

Depends on the condition and on the job. Many organisations need people that fit well in the team rather than solely the person with the best grades. Also some mental issues may dampen your ability to cope with high pressure or stressful situations.

Some jobs though may be suitable and there is no reason you can't forge a career in a suitable job.

I have the same problem.
Every time something good happens to me there's always a hurdle or something goes wrong. Especially job wise.
Gotten to a point where I'm giving up & will probably will be a burden. 😔😔

Don’t give up OP. Even just writing your post shows you hsve strength and resilience! Not all jobs require mingling and dealing with people all the time.. I couldn’t cope with that either.

Sometimes I fantasise about being a librarian, just me and lots of books. Great that you have the support of DH

Yanbu ...my issie is with people and politics. It really does drive me loopy and i cannot cope with it at all.
I dong know if i have aspergers or some kind of autism but other peoole baffle me.

I also suffer from bipolar and depression so yanbu op.

Don't even!

Typos...sorry!

I don’t know how I managed it. Something inside me just fucking snapped - I’d had enough. I’m wracked with anxiety over my exams next week, nothing seems to be sinking in, I’ve not made a single friend at Uni because I can’t bring myself to speak to anyone (other than Professors, who have been amazing) and the whole thing absolutely drains me beyond belief. But I enjoy learning. I really do. I have a counsellor at Uni and the pastoral support there is brilliant. I have exam adjustments and a disability team. I wouldn’t get that in a job though, and I think that’s the major difference and I seriously doubt I could actually work at this point still.

Saying that certain mental illnesses prevent successful careers as a blanket statement would be incorrect (many people navigate successful careers with severe mental illness, sometimes because of it. But they are very much the exception). Mental health problems (any health problems for that matter) are a major obstacle to success/achievement of any sort. They don’t preclude success but they definitely make it harder to attain.

As a teenager I had very low self esteem and extremely shy (I saw a counsellor but it didn’t help). I then somehow ended up with a job in care and I was terrible at the small talk but over the years I got better at it and felt better in myself. I’ve suffered with anxiety and depression with a hospitalised period but thankfully I have a supportive family. Through their support I felt able to return to study briefly which gave me the confidence to go on and retrain and I’m much more successful career wise now. I don’t think it would have been possible for me without my family’s support.

omg- you were housebound and now a manager?? thats amazing! please please tell me how you did it. What did you do?

I have PMd you OP