How to Cope with Job Loss When You Have a Mental Illness

By Jennifer Steele

Losing a job is difficult to handle and the challenges it presents can be overwhelming and devastating, especially for someone with bipolar disorder, depression, an anxiety disorder or other mental illness. It is important that you don’t lose your motivation or allow yourself to get discouraged. If you don’t know what to do or how to remedy the situation you may make some choices that have negative repercussions for months or years to come. The following strategies will help you avoid common pitfalls associated with job loss.

1. Address your emotional challenges.

Typically, when a person loses their job unexpectedly or unfairly a majority of his/her decisions are based on his/her emotions. Negative emotions tend to lead them astray and when this happens they have less power to change their situation. Therefore, negative emotions need to be addressed first and foremost.

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Complications of Bipolar Disorder

Behavioral & Emotional Effects of Manic Episodes
A small percentage of bipolar disorder patients demonstrate heightened productivity or creativity during manic phases. More often, however, the distorted thinking and impaired judgment that are characteristic of manic episodes can lead to dangerous behavior, including:

• Spending money with reckless abandon, causing financial ruin in some cases
• Angry, paranoid, and sometimes violent behaviors
• Openly promiscuous behavior

Such behaviors are often followed by low self-esteem and guilt, which are experienced during the depressed phases. During all stages of the illness, patients need to be reminded that the mood disturbance will pass and that its severity can be diminished by treatment.

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Supporters Celebrate House Action on ADA Amendments Act

By an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 402-17, the House of Representatives on June 25 passed legislation to expand existing protections under the landmark 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).  The bill (HR 3195) is designed to reverse a number of Supreme Court decisions that over the years that have narrowed the scope of ADA protections in the workplace – including so-called “mitigating measures” such as medication and other therapies that control the symptoms of a disability.  Among the provisions in HR 3195 are:

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