TwitchyCanuck 2 Posted February 23, 2017 Does anyone have any experience with being off work and their anxiety or depression, and how they handled that? It can sometimes take time to work through strategies to get yourself well enough to handle certain situations, and when the workplace is the trigger that you can't cope with and you find yourself unable to go to work, what do you do? Mental health disability is awkward, because it isn't visible. How do you go about going on disability for anxiety or depression? The financial stress of being out of work is just one more pressure... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BeautifulDisaster 68 Posted February 25, 2017 I don't personally have experience with using mental health disability and work, although I know you are right about sometimes needing the time and focus to work on things especially if work is a trigger. You asked about how you may go about going on disability - do you have a therapist? I would think that he/she would be able to talk you through that and it is probably that person who can provide you with the necessary paperwork to go about receiving disability. I will say that during the highest point of my anxiety, I was working an extremely stressful job and had a stressful home life. I was able to stop working (was nit through a disability) and focused on taking care of myself (all that self care that fell out of the window from my crazy life). It was the best move I had made in terms of healing my mental health. I know that's not something everyone can just do, but, as I said, if you have a therapist, he/she would be the one to help you through the process and determine if stopping work is in your best interest and if there are any other alternatives. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TwitchyCanuck 2 Posted February 25, 2017 Thanks BD. We do have a therapist, so I'll ask a few more pointed questions. The problem is that the anxiety and depression has been triggered by bullying and harassment at work to the extent that even being moved to another office in the same section hasn't helped. Just going in to the work environment brings back all of the same feelings and anxieties from the beginning, even though nobody in the new office is doing anything harassing or aggressive themselves. There was an attempt to go back to work, but after a couple of shifts the same physical symptoms came back with a vengeance. We're trying to work on a transfer away from that section entirely, or being able to work from home, but the manager isn't being flexible or cooperative in the least, and being forced to go back to that office or be unemployed don't feel like acceptable options, which is why we're thinking of disability as a last resort. I'm just not sure how to put all of this into the proper words to ensure that it is a strong enough case for the insurance examiner! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BeautifulDisaster 68 Posted February 26, 2017 Since you are seeing a therapist, I think explaining all of this to him/her will get you the answers you are looking for. The therapist should know how to go about doing this and should help you with specific coping techniques while you are trying to have things at work changed. if your work situation is something you haven't discussed with your therapist yet, then maybe make a separate appt so you have the time to talk thoroughly about this. He/she can help you with dealing with the insurance examiner if the therapist deems a break from work necessary. Hope this helps. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
