Should I Quit My High-Stress Job?

By Candida Fink MD
July 22, 2008

In “Identifying Your Bipolar Stressors and Triggers,” we encouraged you to identify the sources of stress in your life and avoid them as much as possible. But what do you do when one of your biggest sources of stress – your job – pays the bills, covers your health insurance premiums, structures your life, and contributes to your sense of self worth? Can you afford to quit? Can you afford not to quit? This is the dilemma that many people with bipolar disorder face.

In Bipolar Disorder For Dummies, we urge people not to make hasty life-changing decisions, especially when they’re in the midst of a manic or depressive episode. We took some heat for our recommendations. One reader pointed out the apparent contradiction – we tell people to eliminate sources of stress and then advise them not to get divorced or quit their jobs. In a way, she’s right, but we have three good reasons for the advice we offer:

When you’re in the middle of a mood episode, you’re not always in the best frame of mind to make major decisions.
Removing one stressor may expose you to different sources of stress. Resigning from a well-paying job, for example, could leave you without a source of income, health insurance, and work that you find rewarding.
You may not have considered other, better options.

Of course, we can’t tell you what’s best for you in your particular situation, but we can offer some options you may want to consider before you make the final decision to submit your resignation:

Take as much time off of work as you need to fully recover. If you have bipolar disorder, you have a real illness. Don’t feel bad about having to take time off.
Consider all the ramifications of resigning. Create two lists – pros and cons – and jot down everything you stand to gain by resigning and everything you’re likely to miss.
Consider possible ways your job could be modified to make the level of stress more manageable. (According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, your employer is responsible for providing “reasonable workplace accommodations,” but you must request them.) A good therapist can help you dig through work-related problems and develop possible solutions. He or she can recommend everything from changes in the way you perform your job duties to workplace accommodations to career changes or alternative forms of work.
If you don’t have a therapist, consider looking into vocational supports in your state. Most states have some form of vocational training and rehabilitation services. You may need to be receiving services from your state Department of Mental Health or through Social Security Disability to qualify. If you haven’t looked into those resources yet, you might consider doing so. Disability income, health care, and other supports should be available to people with mental illness in all states, but it is managed differently in different places.
If you prefer private resources, consider working with a private vocational counselor. There may be people accessible through a local or community college.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is an advocacy organization and they may have a local chapter in your area; you can search for local chapters at Find Your State and Local NAMI. Connecting with people there may help you to access services in your local area.
Before you make the final decision to leave your current employer, you might want to consult an attorney who specializes in ADA cases and in disability. Look for someone who has experience in cases involving mental illness. An attorney can help ensure that your employer fulfills any obligations owed to you by law.

Remember to try to tackle this in small pieces – one task at a time – it won’t all get fixed at once, but as long as you’re talking to people and reaching out you’re still in the game. And if you ultimately do decide to resign from your current position, you will do so knowing that you made a well-informed and carefully deliberated decision.

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3 Comments to
“Should I Quit My High-Stress Job?”

WorkLawsExposed at 1:53 pm on July 22nd, 2008

Too few employees are unware of their state and federal employment rights and how to exercise them. Employers and HR departments do a great job of covering them up. There is an explosive new eBook written by an employment law attorney called Work Laws Exposed that will guide U.S. employees through a variety of workplace situations, including stress. It should be mandatory reading for an US employee.

Lizzie at 2:44 am on July 24th, 2008

Wow, this was really helpful. We have all been there.
“In Bipolar Disorder For Dummies, we urge people not to make hasty life-changing decisions, especially when they’re in the midst of a manic or depressive episode.” I wish someone would have told me this sooner. I bought a house one time in the midst of “mania.” Too big, too expensive. It was like a dinosaur. I finally got rid of it. I now live by that rule. “Hasty” is the key word!

Suzanne at 8:22 am on March 25th, 2009

I’m facing the work-stress question right now. I have cut my work hours quite a bit & made it so that I can do most of my work at home & thought I had made the perfect situation. I don’t “have” to work as my husband provides well for us & has the insurance benefits, but my job does provide us with extra income to cover my therapy that is not covered by insurance & I think therapy is essential for my treatment of bipolar at this time.

But my job right now entails me to do what I call 4 or 5 “marathon” days of working 10-12 hour days at the beginning of the month (I do the monthly billing for a health club) & then I’m off for the rest of the month. So it sounds great, but I’ve come to realize that it is very stressful during the time I am working as I’m not able to do any other “wellness” practices like exercise, mindfulness techniques I’m learning in dialectical behavioral therapy, “me time” to read or knit, even time to cook healthy meals so I’m eating high-fat take-out food…

Then my housework & chores are also put on hold so when I’m finished with my work I have 5 days of catching up when I feel overwhelmed with tasks & chores & then I also don’t do my exercise, go to my diabetes educ. class, etc. as I’m feeling really stressed about being so behind on everything. So this job is really not just 4-5 days as far as the toll it is taking on me, but I’m very resistant to quitting as it is hard to give up the money…

My therapist & husband think I should quit. My physical health needs me to get a routine going, too, as I have gained weight since being put on meds for bipolar & have erratic sleep & anxiety & I need to learn how to handle my newly-diagnosed diabetes & that needs structure throughout the day, as well. Plus with better meal planning & preparing them at home I could save money with not doing the take-out.