Read the full article about BPD and employment on Metro.co.uk.
Work life in general can sometimes be stressful. When you’re a person with one of the most stigmatised mental health conditions it can be even harder.
I have Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD).BPD is a psychological illness that, among other things, causes the sufferer to experience extreme emotions: your annoyance is our rage, your disappointment is our despair.
This whiplash emotional state causes many people with BPD to experience anxiety and depression along with many other painful symptoms.
BPD ranges widely among people with the condition. I’ve met people who may never be able to work because of the severity of their illness and I’ve met others in high pressure jobs who I’d never have known experience the same highs and lows as me.
Personally I have been in employment since the age of 16, with only a gap of one year when I was so ill that I was sectioned and received treatment for drug addiction.In my time in employment I’m pretty sure I’ve come across the whole spectrum of attitudes to mental health, from ‘it doesn’t exist, you’re making it up!’ to ‘I’m going to constructively dismiss you because you’re not productive enough’.
Even in some of the most well-meaning employment situations, when things get tough people have thrown the towel in as if to say ‘that’s it, you’re too much hard work now’.Every person at some point can be perceived as hard work but we are worth it.
Following on from this there are some things that I’d like all employers to know about working with someone with BPD.
Read the full article about BPD and employment on Metro.co.uk.
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