What careers/majors are good for the mentally ill?

Parent Cafe
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<p>My 19 year old sister is entering a large public university as a freshman this fall after taking a year off from school. My parents are concerned because they don't think she will be able to handle taking college class and eventually have a steady career. </p>

<p>She has bipolar depression and takes medicine twice a day. Due to her medication she has trouble getting up in the morning, and takes long naps during the day. When she is not sleeping, she's usually on the computer, and really has a hard time focusing on homework.</p>

<p>I'm looking for something that does not have long hours, does not require too much education (not more than a bachelor's degree,) is somewhat respectable (nothing like garbage disposal worker,) and has room for advancement in case she becomes cured. </p>

<p>I like insurance associate at a small firm, because they have easy hours, and the work is pretty simple, what careers do you recommend?</p>

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<p>I think you should see how your sister fares at school this year. Who knows what careers she's capable of? She's just a freshman. No freshman knows what she wants to do, much less what she can do. I wonder if she can work with a psychiatrist to find a combination of medications that does not make her so sleepy? In addition, if she fails to succeed at this large public her first year, I urge you and your parents not to give up on her. She may be suited to a smaller, more nurturing environment - big state unis are tough, even for people not suffering from an illness.</p>

3

<p>I think umcp provides good advice. I'll just add that a lot of not-for-profits can be pretty flexible in work rules. I would think that the a mental health NFP might be especially understanding.</p>

4

<p>Structure really helps bi-polar patients. A bigger school is less structured and therefore more difficult to manage. College life in general is one of the most unstructured times in life--thus the reason that so many illnesses 'appear' during college years. Your family may want to think of a 'back-up' plan that puts your sister closer to home in a more structured school environment.</p>

<p>Careers are wide open but limited social interaction helps--as many bi-ploar patients have difficulty reading sophisticated social cues. Think of the semi-solitary tasks she enjoys and you may have a clue about what sort of career would suit.</p>

<p>Finally, the mental health of a bi-polar patient depends on the genius--and I mean genius-- of her psychiatrist. Finding that genius can be a decades long quest--but it is worth it.</p>

5

<p>Does your sister's therapist think she is ready to enter a large university in a couple of months? It would be difficult for anyone who was sleepy all the time, has to take long naps every day, and has a lot of trouble focusing, to function well in college. </p>

<p>Bipolar people who have appropriate medication and treatment can be very successful in a wide variety of fields. I don't want to question your sister's treatment, which may be absolutely top rate, but I wonder whether a psycho-pharmacology work-up at a major medical center might be helpful. Optimally, her medication would not have the serious side-effects you describe, but would still treat the symptoms of her illness effectively.</p>

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<p>Some of the best psychologists I know have bipolar disorder themselves.</p>

<p>My MIL was bipolar (and frequently off her meds) but she managed a small at-home business (before her alcoholism got her).</p>

7

<p>If she's good with numbers, she should look into bookkeeping and accounting classes. Almost every business needs this type of worker, and the hours can be quite flexible except when a report is due. The pay is better than average.</p>

8

<p>I have several friends and acquaintances who are bi-polar. They include a lawyer, award-winning journalist, and social worker. </p>

<p>Bi-polar people aren't restricted to certain careers.</p>

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<p>^^According to my mother, who is a social worker, the term "bipolar" is used loosely by the general public. It's hard to know whether the successful people you know are truly bipolar. If someone is actually diagnosed as bipolar, then the consequences can be quite severe.</p>

10

<p>The people I know and referred to are truly bi-polar -- diagnosed that way by psychiatrists. My doctorate is, incidentally, in clinical psychology.</p>

<p>I just thought of two other bi-polar acquaintances: one is a sports writer for a major newspaper, the other is a copy editor for a major newspaper. </p>

<p>I have been a journalist, that's how I know bi-polar people in that field. For all I know, there may be just as many bi-polar people in other fields.</p>

<p>The people I know literally have their ups and downs. Depending on the person, sometimes hospitalization has been necessary, but they are extremely smart, personable people who are excellent on their jobs when they are healthy, and get medical treatment when they aren't.</p>

<p>You can't restrict bi-polar people to certain fields.</p>

11

<p>I agree with what others have said above. A diagnosis of bipolar disorder by no means restricts career options-given effective treatment. However, it will be difficult to succeed if her medication makes her this sleepy. Also it will be very difficult to fit in with a typical college crowd, among the most high energy group of people on the planet, if she needs to sleep this much.</p>

<p>It sounds like it would be better to get her therapy better under control, if possible, before starting college. If this seems to be as good as it can get, and here a second opinion may be helpful, then the family should be prepared for a challenging year, and as noted above, not give up when trouble arises.</p>

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<p>While this thread is about career suggestions, I also think some backtracking is needed to deal with the issue of your sister successfully managing college. (Then career options can be explored as she works her way through.)</p>

<p>My 21 year old son is diagnosed bipolar II and ADHD. He also had trouble getting up in the morning, slept a lot and had focus issues. After taking a couple years off at home to get treatment and have medication issues dealt with, he attended a public university 250 miles from home all this past year. By his own choice he is not returning in the fall. Even with disability accomodations and a support team in place on campus, he was not able to manage the lack of structure and academic pressures campus life brings. In retrospect a smaller college probably would have been a better idea for him and he himself suggests that perhaps he should try community college classes closer to home. He currently lives with friends and works in a grocery store. Not the existence I imagined for my son at age 21 but I have learned that his path has to be different due to his health issues. He is making progress in small steps and I am happy for that.</p>

<p>Your sister may be much more successful at managing college life but it sounds like she is struggling with life while still at home. I am hopeful your parents are helping her locate help resources on campus so that friendly faces will be in place for her when she arrives. This would include a psychiatrist, talk therapist, academic advisor in her Dean's office, and an advisor in the college's disability accomodation unit. Her documented disability could translate to priority registration for classes (to avoid morning ones), extended time on exams, exams taken in a specially proctored exam center, and the like. Your sister and parents may want to think about what, if anything, should be told to her roommate. This is a delicate situation that perhaps a professional can give some advice on. I would hope your sister has an understanding roommate who can encourage her to seek out help (or get your sister to call home) if your sister has difficulties and is unable to get herself to help. It is not the roommate's job to monitor your sister's situation but her roommate is in the room with her daily and is probably the first person to detect if things are not going well. </p>

<p>Lots to think about, I wish all of you well.</p>

13

<p>another sibling of a bipolar person
My brother, two years older than me, has struggled his entire life with bipolar disorder. </p>

<p>I don't know about "structure" but I know whenever he's been in a situation with flexibility (small college, worked for a family-run business, etc.) things worked well for him. When he was in cold, impersonal, rigid situations (driving a cab in NYC alone all day, with nasty invisible bosses), he fell apart. I think I'd look for settings (college, major, career...) that attract thoughtful and supportive people. </p>

<p>Look for ways the person won't become lonely or isolated in life. I don't agree that accounting and other non-personal places where you might sit at a cubicle are right for anyone courageously working to live with a complex, misunderstood disease or mental disorder. What will become important to your sister is finding people and work settings where they understand she has great talents (whatever they are) or is a dear person... and for those talents she is worth stretching the rules a bit. If she has to take a week off for hospital reassessment, she shouldn't have to weight that against losing her job because it "must" be 2 weeks at the end of August, that kind of locked-in situation. Maybe she'll prefer unpaid leave time, rather than have to walk lock-step in the "two weeks off annually" typical job.</p>

<p>A few things to share with you from direct personal experience as sib to a severely bipolar brother, now in his 60;s:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>It's hard to be bipolar, but it's also not so simple to be the sibling, either. Like any illness, you might find parents pouring tons of energy to the sibling while you're not supposed to rock the boat or have any problems (impossible, right?). For now, the parents' hands are so filled up with helping the sick one, but eventually like me I hope you'll find more balance in future years as the brother begins to learn how to manage the disease better. Just be aware of this as a jealousy issue, or pressure to be "the good, easy child who never causes us distress." Try not to resent your sibling -- and, at the same time, learn to speak up and ask parents for things you need (attention, emotional support...). Even though you are blessed with good health, you have needs, too.</p></li>
<li><p>The sleep thing caught my eye. It takes a long time to get the right dosages of new medications, so fatigue can be a byproduct as various treatments are tried. But, sometimes these big diagnoses (bipolar) decoy or mask other simpler explanations for something like sleep. My brother's bipolar illness certainly caused him terrible insomnia problems. True that, but then he ALSO learned at a sleep disorder clinic he had sleep apnea, which he can and does address fairly easily (oxygen breathing assist machine, nightly). This has been VERY important to help him. With all the excitement over bipolar, sometimes you also have to look for simpler problems. Note, I just said "also", not "instead of." So suggest a sleep apnea or sleep disorder clinic for testing. Even the bipolar can get a simple hangnail, after all</p></li>
<li><p>My brother is brilliant. He majored in English and went to get a masters degree in journalism, and worked successfully for decades with a small family newspaper. Working by deadline was very difficult, but he managed it -- with effort. Manage is a key word; learning to manage the illness, know when to go get reassessed before it's too late, and taking one's medications always. </p></li>
</ol>

<p>MEDICATIONS: important, and sadly one of the first things some people do when they're feeling better is stop taking them, and that's when the worst trouble occurs for bipolar people. I'm sure about this. </p>

<p>Working for a family-run situation, rather than a large impersonal corporation, is often helpful in case he needs to check himself into a hospital for a week of
observation and medical adjustment in future years. Structured work is fine, but rigid employers are difficult for anyone dealing courageously with an illness. For example, when the "family-run newspaper" was sold to a large corporation, he lost that flexibility working with his bosses. The family always wanted to employ him because he was so good at his writing, he could do any kind of job they asked of him. When it went corporate, they wanted to put him into one slot and that didn't work as well for him. He quit, went onto disability, and now actively volunteers in his retirement -- but he's 60. He's proud of his career years, and I think your sister should also try for a suitable career. One step at a time, with family and medical support always. </p>

<ol>
<li><p>Check out "NAMI" on Google to discover an organization with the focus on "clients" (not "patients"). Their grassroots approach is very helpful to many.
There are local chapters in many states, and a national headquarters in Washington, D.C. for research, policy advocacy and organizational guidance to the local chapters.</p></li>
<li><p>In very severe cases, a person might need to declare a disability rather than enjoy a lifetime of paid work. In that case, volunteerism generates equal dignity to a paid career.</p></li>
<li><p>Family suppoort and acceptance are crucial and can save a life, although eventually the person with bipolar disease has to learn to manage the illness with the help of a medical team. I agree that a great psychiatrist is crucial, since medications need to be monitored over the course of a long lifetime, and therapy provided to help counsel through so many challenging life transitions.</p></li>
<li><p>Celebrate everything your sibling accomplishes and don't set up conventional expectations. If she decides a family and children aren't manageable for her, accept that, but if she wants to try for it, then show support, too. There's a 50% chance of inheriting the disease (check with genetic counselors, I'm not sure I'm right about that), so that's something to know about before having children. My brother chose not to, but largely because it took his entire attention to watch over himself, not others.</p></li>
</ol>

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<p>^^timed out:</p>

<p>re-- family and children in her future: don't bring all that up now, just work in the immediate issues of going to college. Since you asked about future careers, I thought I'd add that in to your longterm thinking, however. My brother chose not to have kids but perhaps it just took all his attention to care for himself, not take on great responsibilities for others.
Either way she decides about that, support her emotionally! She's your sister. She shouldn't be made to feel bad if she eventually chooses away from family or children. Nor should she be told it's impossible for her.
That's mentioned only because, with girls, often people imagine careers and wonder, "how can you have kids and do that career, too..." so I brought it up.<br>
Good luck. She's lucky you are her sister. I hope someday she'll be able to give back the kind of energy I imagine you're giving out to her today.</p>

15

<p>NSM, with respect, the people you know must have easily managed forms of bi-polar illness. They would be classified as extremely high-functioning--something that is impossible for seriously ill patients.</p>

<p>The pattern of racing thoughts of bi-polar patients often produces a brilliance. Nevertheless, many patients cannot control that brilliance and cannot take advantage of it. It is devastating for everyone in the family to adust to lower expectations when the underlying talent is brilliant--but it is equally painful to endure social pressure for 'success' when none can be had. 'Success' is too easily equated with 'happiness' in America. </p>

<p>Acceptance and tolerance are much better than high expectations when it comes to bi-polar siblings, in my experience.</p>

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<p>cheers,
I wouldn't say that the people whom I know with bi-polar disease have an illness that's easily managed. I've seen some get hospitalized. I've seen others fall into the kind of depression that the OP describes her sister's having. One, a sports writer, became psychotic and paranoid while at work, and had to take time off. </p>

<p>However, what still exists is that they have been able to work in a variety of professions. </p>

<p>As for the OP, what she described was a person who right now is very ill and may not be ready for college until her illness stabilizes and improves. I hope that the sister and her parents are working closely with a therapist and psychiatrist and getting guidance on what is reasonable to expect her sister to be able to do now.</p>

<p>One of my close friends who is bi-polar and a social worker goes into the kind of depression that the OP described her sister's having. When that happens, my friend is not able to work, and she has to have her medications adjusted and therapy increased. This has included her having to take several months off from her job. She is excellent at her work, very up front about her illness, and the places where she has worked have had such appreciation for her work that she hasn't run into problems because of her illness.</p>

<p>From what I've seen, the careers that people with bi-polar illness can work depend upon a number of factors: Their ability to acknowledge their illness, take their medication, and monitor their illness well enough to see their mental health professional when they are getting ill (Unfortunately, many people with bi-polar disease refuse to take medication. This particularly can be a problem with people who cycle into mania because when they begin to go into mania, they feel very good and are very productive and gregarious) is a big part of the picture. Of course, how intelligent they are also matters.</p>

<p>And, while people with this illness can work in a variety of fields, I doubt that they would be able to work in a field such as being a police officer, pilot, member of the military, or working for the CIA for obvious reasons.</p>

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<p>Again, with respect, you must not know any bi-polar patients who are as ill as my brother or my friend's son--or any number of patients that have had to scale back their aspirations due to a horrific illness.</p>

<p>I f anything, one of the biggest problems facing seriously ill patients and their families is the reluctance to let go of previously held expectations. On behalf of families living with this illness, I would only ask that you put caution and qualification into your statements about the expectations of those outstanding careers. Bi-polar patients push themselves and they get pushed by well-meaning folks--and many times it isn't good for their stability or their health. </p>

<p>Tolerance and acceptance is the key.</p>

18

<p>Cheers and Northstarmom, based on what I know of my brother, you two don't disagree as much as you might think.</p>

<p>A career is possible, with very careful management of the illness. Age 18 is no time to decide what is possible for the rest of someone's life. To conclude that a person shouldn't leave home for college or attempt a career is as problematic to me as over-expecting. Just treat the illness and take it one step at a time. </p>

<p>I think my brother also had grander hopes for his career life than what turned out to be (he wanted to write the great American novel, not just work for a newspaper!). But over time, with some modest successes and awful failures, he ended up finding an inbetween path where he could work, if not become famous. </p>

<p>Northstarmom said she knew some people in her field, including journalists. Her description could have been taken word-for-word had my brother worked in her office. Other work colleagues may know more or less about the intricacies of managing this illness. </p>

<p>Cheers, your warnings also sound "fair and balanced." </p>

<p>Can't we just leave this poster with some common ground: support your sibling, work on treating the illness, don't overexpect but don't limit the person's opportunities either. </p>

<p>We 3 seem to concur that having flexibility in a career to be able to take periodic and unexpected hospitalizations is part of the normal life of someone with bipolar disorder.</p>

<p>We 3 seem to agree that it's imperative to listen to one's doctors and not stop taking medication. Especially for bipolar, when someone feels "good" they might think they're "all better" but to stop medication at that point can be a dreadful mistake.</p>

<p>Don't let the OP's parents decide for her, at age l8, that no college and a permanent disability status is the only choice for their young woman. It's too soon to know that.</p>

19

<p>The label "Bipolar Disorder'", IMHO, no longer has much clinical usefulness. Nowadays, each case must be thought of quite individually.</p>

20

<p>I agree completely with paying3tuitions. This line was perfect: support your sibling, work on treating the illness, don't overexpect but don't limit the person's opportunities either.</p>