Talking (or not) about bipolar disorder at work: the dilemma of sick employees
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Members of La Maison perchée, in Paris, an association and reception center for young adults living with a mental health disorder. RÉMY ARTIGES
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Survey: Suffering from bipolar disorder can entitle you to a work adjustment. But revealing it also means running the risk of discrimination.
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For a long time, Karine struggled to accept that she suffered from bipolar disorder . Before being diagnosed, this marketing research manager experienced the manic phases (a state of exaltation and increased energy symptomatic of the illness) and hypomania (a milder form of the previous ones) almost as an asset: with her brain in turmoil, she could accomplish a "considerable" amount of work. Karine was overwhelmed with positive comments from her superiors, impressed by so much productivity... Until the backlash during a depressive phase.
“The slightest task seemed unbearable to me , says the thirty-something Parisian . I could stay for eight hours staring at my computer screen, doing nothing . One morning, I was unable to get out of bed. My psychiatrist put me on sick leave." When the diagnosis came in, in 2020, it was a downward spiral.
The idea of talking to his colleagues about it, while some of his close friends are still struggling to take his illness seriously, seems...
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