To wonder if you can work despite having very poor mental health?

[Quble]

I am diagnosed with PTSD, PND and GAD. I'm prone to panic attacks, depressive states and don't handle stress well at all. On my bad days I experience depersonalization which makes interacting with the outside world extremely difficult.

I used to work full time and was a functioning member of society but the past three years have been awful, the break down in my mental health coincided with me becoming a mum and then suffering multiple traumatic experiences.

I want to go back to work and find myself again but sometimes even doing the nursery run takes every last bit of my mental energy. I'm sick of my mental health problems and want to be like 'normal' people.

Does anybody on here suffer from very poor mental health of any type and if so are you able to work?

I understand completely SameStuff. Well done you for pushing on (I don't mean that remotely as patronising as it sounds)

I admire those of you who manage or even just try. That's what I aspire to do.

Quble I was in a similar position to you a year ago. I was almost completely unable to function. I was calling in sick to work more often than I was able to go in. Eventually they fired me. I'd been unable to stick with any job for more than about a year.
So I made a big change. I trusted myself and my instincts and went self employed. I'm now working as a self employed carer. Much lower stress. It's taken time but I've built it up around my needs. I started slowly and gave myself time and space to heal. A year on and I'm in a much better headspace. I still have to work very hard to keep myself well but I am miles better than I was 12 months ago.
My point is it is possible to work when struggling with your mental health but only if your needs come first and everything is built around that.

My mental health suffered after I had my children. PND, PTSD for which I’m getting therapy now. And ocd too. It’s hard going. I worked throughout but I know I was lucky as I had a lovely team and a decent manager.
I think take it easy on yourself right now. Just look see what’s out there. What might you want to do? It could be anything- volunteering, working part time, training/studying. You don’t have to committ right now you’re just looking. Get good routines in place. I sometimes think that if you live in your head then something that’s practical and takes concentration is useful. And stay hopeful, you can get there.

I find that working has massively helped my mental health issues. However, I used to work in a customer facing role and that was worse than not working. I'm office based now, which is so much better for me. I need consistency in my job, knowing what to expect and knowing how to resolve the queries that I deal with. My previous role was not good for this, and dealing with one arsehole customer could set me back for weeks.

I volunteered for the CAB. My manager, bless her, was very understanding about me cancelling a session due to depression, even if it was later that same day. And when I had lost faith in myself after a short hospitalisation, and was not up to advising, she gave me a client survey to analyse, which helped to start my recovery. Volunteering is a good way to start, with an organisation that takes mental health seriously.

It's not been possible for me. I've had longstanding MH issues for decades and I've never been able to hold down a long term job. My dc are keeping me busy enough at the moment (one is disabled so I will always have that responsibility) and I've found that I can access a lot of the beneficial aspects of work by creating my own schedule of activities (courses, fitness activities, creative arts), without the pressure or downsides of being at work.

I've done volunteering in the past but I found that I felt undervalued, so I'd rather spend my time doing hobbies and other things that (selfishly) I enjoy just for the sake of it.

My mental health issues are severe enough that they are easily recognised (long term PIP award, no f2f) and I have a supportive DH, so there's no financial pressure for me to work and I don't have any plans to.

Hi Quble, I have the same diagnoses as you as well. I was hospitalized and started on medication. I work in hair and makeup and am the second highest reviewed artist on my company's website. It's definitely possible but I do tend to 'compartmentalize' so unless a client opens up to me, I never talk about my MH issues. I get 'she really listened to what I wanted' a lot and maybe it's partly to do with having those issues.