Ouch weblog: individual blog entry
14 Nov 07, 7:01 PM - 2.5 Years and Counting
If I count the number of months I have been manic or clinically depressed in my working life then add the recovery time that I have been off from work I get the following:
Manic 4 months + 12 months recovery
Running, talking, laughing
Creative, mystical, artistic, high
Genius at work
Psychotic
Depressed 14 months
Waking, crying, self-loathing
Miserable, desperate, desolate, low
Under a dark thundercloud
Suicidal
Stable 15 years
Sleeping, working, playing
Happy, healthy, creative, productive
Plodding on with life
Fine
This means that a chunk of at least 2.5 years has been taken out of my life due to illness. But I have been (relatively) stable for 15 years. The majority of the time. So why the big deal? You may well ask.
It鈥檚 not as simple as that. The devastation that an episode can wreak if you don鈥檛 get out of the workplace quickly enough or if you don鈥檛 get treated quickly enough is horrendous. Employers don鈥檛 like you being off sick and penalise you accordingly even if you are covered by the Disability Discrimination Act. Add to that the irrational stigma and discrimination that exists and you begin to see that it can be extremely difficult to recover from an episode of illness. It can mean starting all over again from the bottom in another job, or relationship.
How many years have been taken out of your life due to your disability?
What is the cost of your disability to your work or personal life?
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