Mental Health and work

[Jeffsus]

Well,

As many of you may have suspected, I was diagnosed with a mental health issue last week.

Specifically, bi-polar disorder without significant signs of depression.

I asked the psychiatrist:

me> "Can you really call it bipolar if there is no depression?"
Dr. J> "Yes that's the diagnoses."
me> "'Bi' implies two. I get it if someone is manic and then depressed, but, I'm not depressed?"
Dr. J> "It's quite possible for there to be many variations of the same disease."
me> "Like cancer?"
Dr. J> "Sure, like cancer."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bipolar_disorder

So now, along with clonazepam and olanzapine, I have to take Lurasidone.

Three reasons why I don't like this shit:

1. It's Japanese. I have PTSD from working with the Japanese.
2. It's fucking expensive. My benefits cover it but $350 a month?
3. Nobody knows why or how it works. Am I a fuckin guinea pig? Don't give me shit that nobody knows how it works. If you just wanna keep me upbeat and happy, prescribe me some MDMA -- same damage.

Anyway, I guess this is an open question to ask others who have been officially diagnosed with a mental illness. How does work handle it? If you work in HR, do you consider it a specific problem similar to blindness or a broken leg?

Anyone else take Latuda? I hear it's very effective but nobody I've spoke with personally has used it (probably because it's stupid expensive). Does being expensive make it better?

-jM
A&D

 

[Jeffsus]

You see Jack there? That's fuckin' me.

It's really, seriously, me.

-jM
A&D

 

[Krzysiu]

Medicine keeps an even keel as you sail your mind boat on the seas of life to the isle of happy thoughts.

But you know what fills the sails of your mind boat? Talking about your issues with the Japanese to an accredited psychotherapist.

Course is set, Captain! All we need is a gentle breeze!

 

[Jeffsus]

Hey, I have a great idea.

Let's give psychiatric patients a drug that causes suicidal behaviour.

Fuckin' brilliant!

Oh, also, you can't drink grapefruit juice. What's so special about a grapefruit that a $350 drug can't overcome?

When I woke up I found a half gram of cocaine on my table.

me> "This lurasidone, is it safe to take with cocaine?"

Stupid Dr. J. He'd probably ask me how strong is the cocaine followed by a BJ.

-jM
A&D

 

[Jeffsus]

Medicine keeps an even keel as you sail your mind boat on the seas of life to the isle of happy thoughts.

But you know what fills the sails of your mind boat? Talking about your issues with the Japanese to an accredited psychotherapist.

Course is set, Captain! All we need is a gentle breeze!

Do you remember the good old days, when you could order kilos of ketamine from India?

I still swear Kzysiu, that stuff is the best thing for a hangover I've ever met.

Ibuprofen, tylenol, aspirin if you're feeling old school or having a heart attack, and my new favourite naproxen, none of them have anything on ketamine. And I mean you get to snort ketamine! Why are no conventional OTC drugs snortable? I saw a porn once where a guy was into getting his ass ripped up. Strange? Yes. Real? Yes. Japanese? Ah, yes, but I would also have accepted German. The point is, stuff you snort usually burns and WE LIKE THE BURN.

I actually like the taste of Tylenol.

-jM
A&D

 

[djfear]

I don't have any mental illnesses, but I know that HR should treat it like a disability and in that sense it should be respected. If they start discriminating against you because of it, then it's the same type of discrimination as if you were in a wheelchair or if you were blind.

 

[praktik]

^^

Yes you would think so, but statistically speaking mental illness are some of the most abused disabilities for benefit fraud - never mind that we are still talking about low absolute numbers of fraud, but of all conditions you can have it's "easier" to lose a limb than be depressed/have migraines, because the limb loss is there for all to see. It's also much harder to fake.

Mental illness is not visible and I think the culture is still way behind reality in many places - with people suffering from these diseases seen as being either weak-willed or potentially abusing the system.

Good luck Jeffsus on your journey and don't let people push you around!

 

[Sal De Ban]

Good luck Jeffsus on your journey and don't let people push you around!

ditto on this. if you drink and do drugs as often as you let on, it may be wise to cut down. And definitely read up on what you're being prescribed. Get a 2nd (and possibly a 3rd) opinion.

 

[agentRC4]

If he drinks and does drugs as often as he says he does, then they can't diagnosis a mental disorder like Bipolar as the impacts of the drug and alcohol abuse mimic bipolar. You need to be clean first before a dx like bi-polar can be properly made.

 

[Krzysiu]

Do you remember the good old days, when you could order kilos of ketamine from India?

-jM
A&D

I do.

But her name wasn't India and I think she still lurks the board. (YOUR TEETH ARE TERRIBLE, MELISSA! SPEND THOSE ILL GOTTEN GAINS ON A CLEANING!)

Jeff, I think once you calm down - chemically - you'll be in a better place - chemically - to discuss your hatred of salarymen - chemically.

 

[Jeffsus]

I sent her this email, cause I was pretty upset, and I'm right.

Hello (cby),

I, and the entire community, are aware of the fact that Toyota is dislocating their investment in Cambridge.

On a note that I found interesting, and which you should know, is how to deal with employees who suffer from a mental illness.

Preventing discrimination based on mental health and addiction disabilities : An overview for employers (brochure) | Ontario Human Rights Commission

Given that (d) actively advised me not to raise issues of safety;
Given that (d) president actively harassed a staff member, to the point of tears;
Given that you had to move that staff member lest a lawsuit occur;
Given that the president of the company coached an employee to defraud the Canadian Border Service Patrol;
Given that the president of that company and all senior members are considered in terms of race and will always be Japanese;
Given that all staff with low wages are female, with 2 notable exceptions (well one you fired) are temporary or contractual staff, for years on end;
Given that all managers, with the exception of yourself, are all male;
Given that you actually had the wherewithall to fire a male employee and write "fired without cause",

Given all this, can you truly ask yourself that you feel good about your job? Do you actually feel proud about what you do at work?

This is a short list above. I have a lot more. Much of it would indict (d) for fraud, various workplace violations, and then some.

I encourage you to read:

Preventing discrimination based on mental health and addiction disabilities : An overview for employers (brochure) | Ontario Human Rights Commission

Which is of course the reason you ostensibly fired me.

That's you (abc), that's you not just passively breaking the law, that's you actively breaking it.

I signed a Non Disclose Agreement that I would not talk shit about Toyota, but I don't care. That company is a fuck of bunching nonsense; I fully understand why they are pulling out as fast as they can to Mexico, where the nice taco workers will continue to work for Toyota for $11USD per hour.

There is a reason Toyota doesn't make a single car in Japan anymore.

-jM
A&D

 

[LikeASweet]

If he drinks and does drugs as often as he says he does, then they can't diagnosis a mental disorder like Bipolar as the impacts of the drug and alcohol abuse mimic bipolar. You need to be clean first before a dx like bi-polar can be properly made.

You are correct - at least 3 months abstinent from substances before you can get a proper diagnosis from a psychiatrist. This has been my experience working with many hospitals and mental health facilities.

 

[Jeffsus]

I did three months. And according to the psychiatrist you only need 7 days.

My experiences with hospitals include the following sentences, which if I repeated on an hourly basis at work, I'd get fired:

"Could you please speak to someone else about that problem?"
"I'm not your nurse. You have to ask her for that information." <-- this one is particularly odious because they're all nurses and any of them could get me toilet paper. Also she assumed my nurse is female.

The three magic words in a psych ward: "I don't know."
"Can I get a blanket?" -> "I don't know."
"What time is the doctor coming?" -> "I don't know."
"Can I just get my pills please and go to bed?" -> "I don't know."
"Are we having chicken for dinner tonight?" -> "I don't know."
"I snore. Can we do something about that?" -> "I don't know."
"Remember? We talked about this yesterday?" -> "I don't know."
"You forgot the Latuda. Can you give it to me please?" -> "I don't know."

After a few days of this, Istarted breaking down.

me> "You have other channels than space channel. Could we change it?" -> "I don't know."
me> "Well I fucking know, there are two buttons on the side of the TV that change the channel up and down."
nurse> "There's no reason to be rude."
me> "Well there's no reason to be stupid either, yet here we are."

phone rings, I answer, "Hello?"
phone> "Can I speak to (xyz)?"
me> "I don't know where he is, and I'm not a receptionist."
phone> "He is from Zimbabwe."
me> "Well, I think I know the guy you're talking about. He spends all his time smoking, doing whatever his business is, getting food, fucking broads, then comes back here for free dinner and a free roof over his head."
phone> "So can I talk to him?"
me> "He's out fucking bitches or whatever he does until dinner time and needs to sleep."

The doctor's aren't much better. There is a solution for them in pill form in every instance. Oh, olanzapine is causing you tardive diskenesia? That's ok, just start taking clonazepam. Oh, the escitalopram is causing you sleep disorder? That's fine, here just take some Abillify.

me> "Dr., do you really think it's a good idea to just be adding more pills to my prescription?"
Dr> "Are they not working for you?"
me> "Well, not really, but every time I ask you about it, you just give me more pills?"
Dr> "Well we can see what your disability is and we can adjust your medication based on that."
me> "I've been seeing you for 5 years, what is my diagnoses?"
Dr> "Well it depends which pills work for you.
Dr> "We deliver the pills and the ones that work let us move forward with the diagnoses."
... delay ...
me> "Well that sounds like an aweful guess and check method?"
me> "I'll tell you what I should do. I should stop drinking and not do drugs."
Dr> "That's always a good idea. But you must have an underlying mental illness."
me> "No Doc I don't think I do, I think your pills are causing more harm than good and I just stop drinking everything would be fine!"

At this point in the converstation I listened to what I just said. Eeeek, I can do without the meds but life without a beer is pretty sad.

me> "Well, I think we had a good discussion. I'm going to head out now."

-jM
A&D

 

[Jeffsus]

My favourite was

Dr> "Is the cipralex causing you problems with an erection?"

New question for me.

me> "Uh yeah. I could use some medication for it?"

Dr> "I'll write you up a prescription, although be forewarned, most drug plans do not cover it."

-jM
A&D

Fuckin' hard ever since!

 

[Plaikate]

^I like you

 

[Jeffsus]

Thank you for the kind words, Praktik, my sworn enemy, most notably.

I refuse to accept what the psychiatrist says, nor my counselor. I am not manic, I am not crazy.

Mental illness is striking in some individuals, but can appear more measured in others.

I am comfortable to share this with the public reader; in my case I dream up outlandish ideas and put money behind them; I'm always torn between thinking this is a good idea or not. My Doctor has taken away my passport, but what does he know.

I am consistently plagued by thoughts of new inventions, without end, to the detriment of my health.

-jM
A^D

 

[DJ elektron-]

 

[djfear]

Why did your doctor take away your passport? I've heard of drivers license, but passport??

 

[Jeffsus]

Why did your doctor take away your passport? I've heard of drivers license, but passport??

I have a standing invitation from a contact who works in the Israeli defense department, I believe I posted this email, (ie outlining the subject matter) which I also believe was OK since his name was not mentioned and I have signed no NDA.

They wanted to discuss further about certain technologies I am developing, but, it would be obviously easier for me to go to Tel Aviv than their team to come here.

So, they gave me an open ticket, with the expectation I'd do it within one week, or perhaps a little more; this concerned my psychiatrist who continues to think I'm crazy, and therefore took my passport, so that I cannot leave the country.

We're still in contact via email; in one way the Israelis are very flexible, and seem to be well funded. But without my passport I can't leave, for now.

We could do it remotely, but, without a signature and a handshake, I'm not giving up the $$$.

-jM
A&D

 

[Jeffsus]

I joined a "makerspace" near my house, in order to work on the project sufficiently to provide a working prototype to my contact.

It's not all there, for example a very small ASIC is needed and the aerogel was hard to come by, but the proof of concept was successful. Without the ASIC, mass control of these nanodrones is not possible but I think they put the pieces together over there.

You make these on the scale of millions, which I know how to do, they probably too, and you have a non-lethal yet highly disruptive weapon.

-jM
A&D

 

[Jeffsus]

I already have clonazepam, but I needed to find creative ways to get diazepam, to settle my nerves enough so that I could put in the inductive copper coils.

That backfired as they prescribed me hydromorphone instead, which, I know a lot of tribers would love to be having that (Quirks I'm looking at you)...

So I had to take the hydromorphone, more accurately known as dihydromorphone, but now I was under hospitalization, not working on my project. I tried to excuse myself,

me> "It was just an accident, I didn't mean to take them."
paramedics> "Well, I'm counting 18 beer bottles right there, and there's more in those cases, so..."
me> "Those are from other days. Today I'm just working on my nanodrones."
paramedics> "I'm not sure you feel alright to take care of yourself right now."
me> "You misunderstand, this particular invention is useful. You just..."
paramedic> "Well anyone who is taking hydromorphone is under our watch."
me> "It's not my fault I was prescribed that. You're not a fucking judge."
paramedic> "Well, if you're going to get rude then we need to take you in for evaluation."
me> "Evaluation for what? Inventing something? Being rude to you? Leave me alone!"
paramedic#2> "Just follow us into the ambulance."

And it continued from there.

Nothing about it was in my favour. If I had my passport I could go to Tel Aviv and make some money and be done with these fuckers.

-jM
A&D

 

[Jeffsus]

As far as proof of concept goes, I was able to make, painstakingly, one device.

It has two wings, each about 1.3mm in diameter, attached via copper coils to a main body, made of aerogel, which I purchased from company (xyz). I had to use a microscope to cut it. Into the gel, the copper coil it tailored. A small magnetic field will turn the wings, which are made of cellulose, into a small angle direction. This magnetic field can be controlled by the ASIC, which I don't have yet, but have contacted companies to develop. Israel will do it for free.

You spray a small amount of enterobacter on the wings, a bacteria which digests cellulose, and creates a small electric potential. Capture that correctly and it will cause inductive vibration in the copper coils which are connected to the wings, this makes them fly. Without the ASIC, they fly without control. Without some degree of control, they are useless. The bacteria will digest the wings within 15-30 minutes, and then the device dies.

Short term, non-lethal weapon. I can share this part because the second part is how to make millions of them. Also this is publishing prior knowledge. So it's a benefit to me whoever makes them.

-jM
A&D

 

[Jeffsus]

.... this concerned my psychiatrist who continues to think I'm crazy, and therefore took my passport, so that I cannot leave the country.

I just realized, he must have some doubts about whether I'm crazy or not; because if he believed me to be crazy, he'd just smile and not.

But if he knew that I'm telling the truth, then he might be concerned enough to take my passport.

Therefore, I'm not crazy!

-jM
A&D

 

[JamesM]

Yeah, you're not crazy. I'll attest to that. But that's coming from me. I don't know if folks have any sort of investment in my opinion.. Everyone's calling me a nutter.

But for what it's worth.

 

[JamesM]

you'd be amazed how well I get along at work, and yeah some issues about coming in the morning, and blasting management.

But otherwise, great fun, and developing world class web applications. They're too obsessed with who comes into work within a 20 minute span at 10:30-11:00, and you're like the next asshole ripped, and given to you by Big Brother, or Survivor island.

Otherwise, everyone's watching youtube, and facebook all day.