The diagnosis of bipolar disorder will have an effect on your career. That does not mean that you cannot have a great career, actually many bipolar disorder patients work and have normal lives.
Should You Keep it a Secret
One basic question that arises for bipolar patients after diagnosis is whether or not they should keep the illness a secret in the office. It is not always necessary to inform coworkers about your illness if it does not affect your work, but if it affects your work, it is important to inform your boss about the illness and if you will need any accommodations made in case you run into trouble.
The advantages of informing the boss are that you may be provided with more flexible timings, any changes in location and even changes in terms of your break time (some patients find it easier to deal with several short breaks rather than having a single long break each day). Informing the boss he may provide you any needed facilities. In such situations it makes sense to tell the boss about the illness and get all the help you need.
You may choose to tell coworkers with whom you have good relations about your disorder if you feel you may need their support during tough times. If you are a coworker who is privy to someone else’s bipolar disorder you will want to be supportive, but conscious of your actions and opinions so you are not being viewed as intrusive or demeaning. Treat your coworker as one of the gang rather than isolate them for being bipolar.
Impact of Work on Bipolar Disorder Patients
Being an employee has both positive and negative impacts on bipolar disorder. You should be aware of the impact on your life as well as your career when deciding how to proceed with work when you have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
The positive impacts are :
It helps to get involved in anything rather than being depressed.
It provides social status and contacts, as well as further support.
It helps to get change the patient role to an employee role.
