Help: I'm bipolar and want to go into the psychiatry and/or counseling field. Can you find or tell me?

Question

where to find how high my chances of of gaining employment in this area with this condition are?

I've been searching, but I can't find anything to help me. Maybe one of you know?

Answer 1

I've been bipolar for 30+ years and never lost a job because of it. I was also highly successful in the nnational journalism field and in law. I even went to law school at Georgetown at night and worked by day, which was a feat! It's do-able as long as you find medications to help stabilize you and motivate you. Know what pulls you out of depression (I take dexedrine routinely, have for 22 years), keeps you out of depression (Me-Effexor), and watch for signs that you're getting manic (I promise people things that I know I can't deliver on.) Learn enough to know that you have a lifelong, serious illness, and should never be without treatment and never go off your medications. Judge well how stress affects you. Medical school would be a real stressor, but if you really want to be there, it's exciting.



There are probably no reliable statistics on how many psychiatrists or therapists have bipolar disorder. (Loads of them suffer at least from occasional depression, but many lie about it.) My father became a psychiatrist but only self-medicated and died of suicide. Today, insurers may give you a hard time, or occasionally check your judgment on cases, but your peers will be fine. You may even find that professionals will go to you because you have bipolar disorder.



I had a peer counselor who had bipolar. Frank was a great motivator and counselor, but wound up in the hospital about every two weeks. Mentally ill people need someone who will be there for the long haul.

If you become a psychiatrist, be on the cutting edge and know about cardiovascular disease treatment for those who have been on antidepressants for decades.



I don't think you will find anything that will give you odds. It will all be anecdotal. Just get a good psychiatrist, and good therapist, and get as stable as you can before applying to schools. They will ask at some point or another whether you have mental illness. I had to tell the North Carolina State Bar, and had to attend a hearing on whether I should be allowed to take the bar exam in NC. I went with letters from former employers, and a time line showing that at every single moment after being diagnosed that I always had a psychiatrist and most of the time a therapist. I also showed that I had told one lawyer in my community who agreed to handle my cases should I be hospitalized. It worked. They didn't even have one question.



Good luck to you. You may have an extra hurdle or two to go through in getting there, but after that you'll be fine.

Answer 2

I personally think that someone with a mental illness that is controlled is the best candidate for this type of work because they truly know what the patient is going through.



As many people have said, if your bipolar disorder is under control (like any other illness), then it shouldn't be an issue. And even if you need accommodation (like time to visit your therapist or doctor during the day) it's not an issue. That's because mental illnesses are included under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and (with a few exceptions) your employer MUST legally accommodate you. In addition, it's illegal for employers to ask about or dig into a person's medical/mental health history.



Also, you should consider that if you get a job working in a practice with others, for example, they are probably going to be the least likely to try to discriminate against you, because they will be more educated about mental illnesses than the average person.



Good luck!

Answer 3

Your chances are the same as any other job. As long as you keep your bipolar under control, it will not stop you, though it may make the road a little rougher.



Look up Kay Redfield Jamison. She is a very famous Psychologist that also has bipolar, and has many books. That is just one example.



Bipolar would not rule you of of the profession on principal of having it. However, you do have to learn how to stay as stable as possible because you can not help others if you are unstable.



If you have it under control, it actually puts you at an advantage in the field since you do understand the illnesses from the inside of having it. Can understand people dealling with severe depression, bipolar, probably anxiety, and such. And even other illnesses you are at a closer point of understanding then if you didn't deal with mental illness yourself

Answer 4

If your condition is being managed properly then it should not affect your ability to secure training and eventual employment in the field. Many medical and mental health professionals are being treated for psychiatric issues. You do, however, want to identify your own traits associated with having bipolar disorder, and how they may affect reaching your educational goals and eventual client care. See if you can set aside an additional session, appointment, or even lunch date to discuss these matters with your therapist. Good luck!

Answer 5

First of all, you do not have got to inform someone that you've got it. This may be very personal understanding. You could make a first-rate counselor as you might have very well perception into a minimum of one primary sickness. Be cautious approximately going into psychiatry or counseling. People who do pay attention such terrible stories of pain and woe that they are able to emerge as depressed simply by paying attention to these things. Very ordinarily therapists have therapists themselves to support them paintings via this burden.

Answer 6

Just because your Bi-Polar doesn't mean you still can't do what you want to do. Just stay on your medication and show that you are loyal to it. Since your Bi-Polar, you obviously have some past experience that no one else does, so you could help way more than ordinary people who don't have the disease<3