Depression and anxiety causing me to lose job.

[jacampbell]

Before responding, do not tell me I should of had an abortion or anything of that matter. Thanks. You do not know my full story or why I am currently in this situation.

I am 12 weeks pregnant and very scared that I will not have enough money for me and my baby.
I can never keep a job due to my severe depression and anxiety. After a month in the job I start to have serious mental breakdowns to the point where I'm sent home. Most of the times it results in me leaving the job or me getting sacked.

I am an extremely hard working person. I am never lazy. I was never always like this. Life just got really hard for me, more things started happening and my mental health got worse.

Any suggestions on what to do?

I'm really scared to take anti-depressants and I find that counselling doesn't really help me as much. I feel like I'm talking to a robot sometimes.

(I'm really going through a lot by the way... please help.)

1. Do you feel like your depression/anxiety affects your day to day life to the extent it could be considered a disability?
2. Do you have a diagnosis from a medical professional?
3. Have you informed your employer about your medical condition?

You may be eligible for additional employment protection in relation to disability discrimination, this means that if your employer is aware of it, they can’t discriminate against you due to your disability and must consider making reasonable adjustments to make you more comfortable. This doesn’t mean they can’t sack you if you truly can’t perform the job, but they must treat you fairly and can’t instantly sack you because you had a breakdown. This may require a visit to occupational health.

Speak to your union or acas for advice.

Also please contact your GP and seek help

Claim benefits and get help from your gp with MH.

@browzingss @Raffathebear
Thank you so much for the advice guys❤️

What type of jobs are you going for? Someone I know with anxiety and depression got a job as an EA to a director in a fast-paced environment which had a lot of deadlines. She lasted a year and her absences took a toll on the small team there. It was just the wrong job for her. She would have been suited to something more relaxed and she particularly liked gardening. Are you applying for jobs which you can sustain?

Anti-depressants help an awful lot of people, so it might be worth talking to your GP around your fears in relation to that

Work-wise, have you thought about what preciseley your trigger points are ? Is it deadlines / pressure to get something done by a particular time ? Is it dealing with the public / customers ? Is it a particular skill you struggle with that sends you into a spiral ?

If you know that, then maybe you can look for jobs where your triggers are less present. And I echo PPs sdvice about disability protections, this would help you get the accomodations you may need if you meet the criteria

So I was doing a search online for this same problem, losing my job due to depression, and was so relieved to see I'm not the only one that i signed up before i noticed the name of the site. But I'm desperate so i hope you'll indulge me even though I'm in the U.S. and my only "children" have fur. To the OP, I applaud you for trying to do right by your baby. I hope you can give yourself credit for that, but i know how hard it can be to recognize the good person you are while fighting this invisible monster. Please consider giving therapy another try. I've tried therapy on and off for years & i never felt like it helped. I believed then, and now, that it was because i was depressed because i felt awful from what i now know is fibromyalgia, and not that i felt awful because i was depressed. I only mention this in case reading it causes you to realize something specific is actually causing your depression. Over the last few years I've had more & more stressors applied & then in Feb i lost my brother unexpectedly at 47 years of age. I knew it was depression this time caused by overwhelming stress & loss. Understanding what you feel awful about & how it's manifesting in your life can help your therapist help you. I knew i needed a therapist this time. I actually had things i wanted & needed to talk about. I had to find someone via telehealth because of the pandemic. I'm not sure how it works in the UK, obviously, but when choosing a therapist i was able to read a post from the provider. I think that's why I've connected with this therapist so well. By reading through what they chose to write about themselves, and how it was written, i was able to find a really good match. She's helping, but it's a long battle. As for medication, I used to have a real aversion to psychiatric drugs until i realized that taking medication because my brain isn't working properly is no different from the medication i take because my thyroid doesn't work properly. There's no shame or weakness in taking them. However, i suspect none of them are safe for the baby. Please do look into it though. Lastly, to everyone, i also need help figuring out what to do. Clearly you can't advise me on what programs might be available, but i think being in the right job would help me and the OP. I don't want to start over again as this is my third career, I'm 44, and don't want to get another university degree. How did you find the right job for you? My undergraduate degree is in Radio/TV and my masters degree is in accounting. I'm an auditor but now realize i need something more repetitive (maybe accounting?) but also more about people oriented (so, not accounting?). I'm not trying to hijack the post, but maybe someone has the answer for both of us?

@MotherofDobies
Thank you so much for your post❤️
My heart was so warm when you gave me the credit for doing right by my baby. You are so right. It's so hard to see how much I'm trying when I'm busy fighting all these 'monsters'.
Thanks so much and don't wrong about 'hijacking the post' haha. I really hope someone can help and give you advice as well because we all really need that help.
If I come across any useful information for you I'll surely come back and let you know.

@DianaT1969 @SunlightBlazing
Thanks so much guys❤️
I think you are both extremely right. I have sat down, read both your posts and actually realised that I am taking on a really fast paced job that is putting me under a lot of pressure.

I work in a Asda factory (night shifts from 10pm - 6am and even doing overtime on some occasions), where there's a lot of picking and packing. I stand up with absolutely no chance to sit down (keep in mind I'm 3 months pregnant). I only get 30 minutes break throughout the whole day.

YES there is deadlines. At the end of the day they actually count how many items you've packed. You're required to pack at least 3,500 items or ideally 500 items per hour.
So that really puts me under pressure.

I really think I need to look for another job and I'll definitely be going to the doctors. No doubt.

Again, thanks so much

Employers have to make adjustments for pregnancy? So if you are say tired or feeling grotty because if your condition they should send you/you request to attend their occupational health?

Have a look on the Acas website about depression and that side if things, as well as the pregnancy side of things.