How does living with mental illness affect different areas of your life?

dustytrucker02 said:I actually intended to start a new thread, but since dustytrucker02 brought it up, I hadn't fully realized the extent to which mental health stigma still dominates the American workforce. Apparently, the trend is actually increasing.

Basically, I was offered a job where the owner requested—and quite frankly, had every right to request—a medical clearance from an occupational health specialist. I naively assumed this would just be a standard physical where you get a basic sign-off, but it turns out that because of my "F-code" diagnosis, I can't get cleared for work. I've approached five different occupational doctors, and they all just redirected me elsewhere, claiming that "oversight on F-diagnoses has been tightened" and that they "don't have the necessary specialists on staff."🤷
As if I'm some medical anomaly that requires an entire board of experts just to study me.
In what way am I unfit for work if I'm managing my condition with regular medication? This feels completely illegal.🙂
Anyone else dealt with this?

gentleraven90 said:Did you end up telling them about your F diagnosis or what?

dustytrucker02 said:I actually intended to start a new thread, but since dustytrucker02 brought it up, I hadn't fully realized the extent to which mental health stigma still dominates the American workforce. Apparently, the trend is actually increasing.

Basically, I was offered a job where the owner requested—and quite frankly, had every right to request—a medical clearance from an occupational health specialist. I naively assumed this would just be a standard physical where you get a basic sign-off, but it turns out that because of my "F-code" diagnosis, I can't get cleared for work. I've approached five different occupational doctors, and they all just redirected me elsewhere, claiming that "oversight on F-diagnoses has been tightened" and that they "don't have the necessary specialists on staff."🤷
As if I'm some medical anomaly that requires an entire board of experts just to study me.
In what way am I unfit for work if I'm managing my condition with regular medication? This feels completely illegal.🙂
Anyone else dealt with this?

dustytrucker02 said:I actually intended to start a new thread, but since dustytrucker02 brought it up, I hadn't fully realized the extent to which mental health stigma still dominates the American workforce. Apparently, the trend is actually increasing.

Basically, I was offered a job where the owner requested—and quite frankly, had every right to request—a medical clearance from an occupational health specialist. I naively assumed this would just be a standard physical where you get a basic sign-off, but it turns out that because of my "F-code" diagnosis, I can't get cleared for work. I've approached five different occupational doctors, and they all just redirected me elsewhere, claiming that "oversight on F-diagnoses has been tightened" and that they "don't have the necessary specialists on staff."🤷
As if I'm some medical anomaly that requires an entire board of experts just to study me.
In what way am I unfit for work if I'm managing my condition with regular medication? This feels completely illegal.🙂
Anyone else dealt with this?

dustytrucker02 said:I didn't tell them, but before you can even get an appointment, you have to bring a clearance from your doctor stating whether you have any underlying conditions or a clean bill of health.

gentlesailor25 said:It just occurred to me... does your doctor even know about the F-diagnosis, assuming your psychiatrist is running a private practice?
In other words, it feels like the only people left without any actual protection are the ones who can't afford to pay for a private specialist.🤷

It’s honestly pretty grim...😲

dustytrucker02 said:I don't think it matters whether the psychiatrist is in private practice or not. As far as I know, all the prescriptions come through your primary care physician anyway. Even though my GP is incredibly kind and wrote the certification as leniently as possible, that "F" still screams off the page.

dustytrucker02 said:I don't think it matters whether the psychiatrist is in private practice or not. As far as I know, all the prescriptions come through your primary care physician anyway. Even though my GP is incredibly kind and wrote the certification as leniently as possible, that "F" still screams off the page.

how am I considered unfit for work if I have a condition that I manage with regular medication? That can't possibly be legal...

Michelle Evans said:Private doctors issue prescriptions just like anyone else, so you can pick up your meds at any pharmacy. The real difference is that you're paying the full retail price instead of getting an insurance co-pay. Usually, people go that route if they want to keep things off their official medical record and have the extra cash to spare...

A primary care physician will write the prescription based on a specialist's findings if you'd rather not pay the full out-of-pocket cost.

Is there really no way for a general practitioner to provide a certification based on a specialist's recommendation? Calling it "we don't have that specialist" sounds like a pretty ridiculous excuse...🙄

how am I considered unfit for work if I have a condition that I manage with regular medication? That can't possibly be legal...

You can definitely be deemed unable to work due to certain diagnoses regardless of your treatment plan—whether it's psychiatric or physical—depending entirely on the nature of the job. For instance, someone with epilepsy shouldn't be driving a truck, or a recovering alcoholic shouldn't be in air traffic control...
I assume your specific situation doesn't involve those kinds of high-stakes roles, but just for the sake of clarity, it is possible...

Michelle Evans said:Private doctors issue prescriptions just like anyone else, so you can pick up your meds at any pharmacy. The real difference is that you're paying the full retail price instead of getting an insurance co-pay. Usually, people go that route if they want to keep things off their official medical record and have the extra cash to spare...

A primary care physician will write the prescription based on a specialist's findings if you'd rather not pay the full out-of-pocket cost.

Is there really no way for a general practitioner to provide a certification based on a specialist's recommendation? Calling it "we don't have that specialist" sounds like a pretty ridiculous excuse...🙄

how am I considered unfit for work if I have a condition that I manage with regular medication? That can't possibly be legal...

You can definitely be deemed unable to work due to certain diagnoses regardless of your treatment plan—whether it's psychiatric or physical—depending entirely on the nature of the job. For instance, someone with epilepsy shouldn't be driving a truck, or a recovering alcoholic shouldn't be in air traffic control...
I assume your specific situation doesn't involve those kinds of high-stakes roles, but just for the sake of clarity, it is possible...

dustytrucker02 said:No, because they can just claim they don't trust my own psychiatrist's assessment.

The most frustrating part is that I am more than capable of working. I love interacting with people, I'm responsible, and I've never had a single complaint about my performance. I haven't even taken a single day of sick leave or vacation yet. But obviously, that doesn't matter here.🙄
For the record, the job was at a retail gallery.

dustytrucker02 said:No, because they can just claim they don't trust my own psychiatrist's assessment.

The most frustrating part is that I am more than capable of working. I love interacting with people, I'm responsible, and I've never had a single complaint about my performance. I haven't even taken a single day of sick leave or vacation yet. But obviously, that doesn't matter here.🙄
For the record, the job was at a retail gallery.

dustytrucker02 said:No, because they can just claim they don't trust my own psychiatrist's assessment.

The most frustrating part is that I am more than capable of working. I love interacting with people, I'm responsible, and I've never had a single complaint about my performance. I haven't even taken a single day of sick leave or vacation yet. But obviously, that doesn't matter here.🙄
For the record, the job was at a retail gallery.

dustytrucker02 said:I have no intention of backing down. My thought was to reach out to an advocacy group or a federal agency dedicated to protecting mental health patients, but it feels like there's nothing substantial out there. There’s NAMI, but their influence seems negligible, and then there’s the state oversight commission, whose entire mandate consists of checking psychiatric hospital conditions once a year. As if that’s sufficient protection. Honestly, the inertia in this field doesn't surprise me; nobody wants to touch such delicate subjects, especially when it starts uncovering contradictions regarding veteran employment incentives and similar issues.
It crossed my mind to decorate the city with posters: a photo, a name, years of service, a diagnosis code—something like, "unfit for work?" But that would require a level of commitment I'm simply not prepared to undertake. Still, it isn't fair. There are countless people who are far more incompetent, people who are just lazy, perform poorly, and abuse sick leave to collect a paycheck for failing at their jobs. It's pathetic.

gentlesailor25 said:Well, let them "evaluate" you then.🤣

I mean, how is a doctor even supposed to come up with a diagnosis if you don't actually tell them how you're feeling and all that?🤷
I guess you're probably expected to know what to say and what to keep to yourself, right?

dustytrucker02 said:By the way, there’s an creative art project (which debuted last year at the Avant-Garde Minds & Bodies festival) aimed at destigmatizing mental illness. If anyone wants to get involved, you can head to the link under the stickers section, download the PDFs, and print them out as stickers to put up around town. They have both American and English versions available.

fadedbear92 said: May God give them all an F-diagnosis so they can see exactly how it feels!!!
And how are you supposed to feel better after this, when they hit you exactly where it hurts most?!

How many times do I have to tell myself: this world isn't built for people like me? But after hearing this... I'm just speechless...