Bipolar disorder is characterized by shifts between high energy (manic states) and low energy (depressive states), which can profoundly impact productivity, concentration, and relationships at work.
While many employees with the condition are high functioning, the episodic nature of bipolar makes holding down a job difficult.
They have to take medical leave during mood episodes and contend with the stigma surrounding mental illness. If you have bipolar, you face obstacles your colleagues may not fully understand.
However, by learning how to manage the condition, adjusting to the work environment, and seeking compassionate support, you can thrive and succeed at work.
Today, Mental Health Wellness Kenya will provide an overview of bipolar disorder, explain how symptoms may manifest at work, offer practical tips for managing the condition, and explain how treatment works to control the disorder.
How Bipolar Symptoms Impact Work Performance
When bipolar symptoms begin to manifest or become frequent, they inevitably spill over into your work performance, creating a challenge balancing between your job responsibilities and mental health. The following are the symptoms you may notice and how they affect your work output:
- Mood swings and productivity: The surges between the highs of mania and the lows of depression affect your ability to focus, concentrate, and maintain a consistent work pace. During manic phases, you might find yourself flooded with creative ideas but struggling to channel them productively. In depressive episodes, even the simplest tasks can feel like monumental challenges.
- Energy and motivation: Bipolar symptoms often bring energy fluctuations. When you're manic, you might feel hyper-motivated and take on too many projects, leading to burnout. Conversely, during depressive phases, your energy levels drop, and even getting out of bed can become a difficult task, let alone tackling a demanding workload.
- Interpersonal relationships: The erratic mood swings and irritability that accompany bipolar disorder can strain relationships with colleagues, supervisors, and clients. Communication may suffer, affecting teamwork and collaboration.
- Absenteeism and presenteeism: Frequent mood episodes can lead to increased absenteeism, as you might need time off to stabilize. On the flip side, you might show up to work during a depressive episode but struggle to perform effectively, a phenomenon known as presenteeism.
- Decision-making: Impulsivity during manic phases can lead to hasty and sometimes regrettable decisions, both personally and professionally. This impulsiveness can impact your judgment and decision-making at work.
Recognizing these impacts is the first step toward managing bipolar symptoms in the workplace.
Related: 5 Reasons You Are Struggling to Cope with Workplace Stress
Why It's Hard to Keep a Job with Bipolar
The episodic nature of bipolar, with its extreme highs and lows, makes holding down a formal job challenging.
Bipolar causes impairments in concentration, decision-making, emotion regulation, and energy levels—core functions essential to succeed in any workplace. While symptoms vary, common reasons working with bipolar disorder is difficult include:
- Taking frequent sick days during depressive episodes when you can't get out of bed or suicidal thoughts take over. This leads to you missing deadlines and being perceived as unreliable.
- Making impulsive choices and taking unnecessary risks during manic phases which negatively impact your work relationships or derail projects. Your unpredictable behavior can also frustrate coworkers.
- Struggling to adapt to rigid office routines that don't account for the cyclic nature of your mood episodes. Inflexible schedules often worsen the symptoms.
- Experiencing severe mood swings throughout the day that reduce your productivity. Your concentration spans may also be very short.
- Having to take time off for psychiatric treatment but feeling pressure to keep that hidden from colleagues. You may feel ashamed or afraid of experiencing workplace stigma.
Despite these challenges, a significant number of people with bipolar disorder successfully manage their careers through a combination of treatment, support, and self-awareness.
Strategic Tips For Performing Well at Work with Bipolar
A recent survey done by Depression and Bipolar Alliance found that nine in ten people with bipolar said that the condition had affected their work performance.
Many felt they had to change jobs more than those without the condition. Others felt they were given fewer responsibilities or passed over for a promotion.
To improve your chances of accomplishing more at work and reach your career goals even with bipolar, you can learn effective ways to improve your performance. They include:
- Sticking to your treatment plan. Take medications as prescribed and attend therapy regularly to regulate moods. Avoid drug and alcohol use which can destabilize symptoms.
- Being open with your manager about your condition and requesting reasonable accommodations when necessary. Extra time off or a flexible schedule during episodes can help you stay on track.
- Working with your doctor to adjust medications if they cause sedation or cognitive issues. Finding the right mix helps you function optimally.
- Making lifestyle choices to manage stress and maintain balance like getting adequate sleep, eating healthy, exercising, and practicing mindfulness techniques. These practices help to manage and prevent mood episode triggers.
- Tracking your mood daily using a journal or app. Identifying cycles allows you to notice and deal with the symptoms proactively and troubleshoot problems early.
- Leveraging workplace resources like employee assistance programs or support groups. Connecting with others who understand your challenges provides perspective.
As you implement these strategies, remember to always celebrate small wins and give yourself grace on difficult days. Bipolar is an unpredictable and fluctuating condition—focus on overall progress.
How Treatment Helps to Manage Bipolar
Getting consistent and all-rounded treatment helps people with bipolar disorder to live a balanced and fulfilled life.
The combined approach of medication, therapy, and healthy lifestyle helps in stabilizing moods and minimizing disruptive episodes. The following table summarizes how the medications manage the condition.
| Type of Bipolar Medication | How It Helps |
| Mood Stabilizers | - Prevent extreme highs and lows - Reduce frequency and severity of episodes - Smooth out mood fluctuations |
| Atypical Antipsychotics | - Control manic episodes and outbursts - Reduce psychotic symptoms like delusions - Prevent mood cycling when combined with mood stabilizers |
| Antidepressants | - Treat depressive episodes - Lift mood, boost energy, and motivation - Help manage anxiety and obsessive thoughts |
| Anti-Anxiety Medication | - Reduce anxiety, irritability, and agitation - Help manage insomnia during mood episodes |
| Sleep Medication | - Regulate sleep-wake cycles - Avoid sleep disruption that can trigger episodes |
Therapy also offers tremendous benefits as it helps change negative thoughts and behavior patterns that worsen bipolar. It also enables you to learn healthy coping strategies and develop accountability, giving you more control over your condition.
Mental Health Wellness Kenya comes in to help employers and employees learn better ways to deal with mental health challenges in the workplace. Contact us today to plan for training or schedule a group therapy session with employees in need of professional guidance.
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