“And what do you want to have happen by telling me you have bipolar?”

This was the question I received from an employer after explaining to her that I had bipolar.  I am not telling you my story to provide an example of the best way to convey to

someone that you have needs as an employee with bipolar. I am telling this story as a cautionary tale. Think about how you would answer that question, so you can advocate for yourself.  I told my employer at the wrong time, when I was unprepared to help myself in the situation, and it created more difficulties for me.  I have had both good and bad experiences disclosing my mental illness in the workplace.  Today I will talk about the good experience, and I will follow up another day with the negative experience.

The first time I ever disclosed my bipolar diagnosis in the workplace was to be of help to a teacher who was working with a student who was bipolar. I was her behavior support teaching assistant at the time, which meant that I went with students to class to assist them with issues that might arise related to their behavior.  Many of the students had autism, others had ADHD, and two had mood disorders.  It was a very pleasant conversation in which the teacher was expressing that she was trying her best to help this student with bipolar, but it was so different from what the other students were dealing with.  I didn’t tell her the very first time she expressed it, but once I met the student and worked with her, I felt it would be helpful for me to tell the teacher, as I could offer some insight into how the student might be feeling.  When I did tell her, I was in a good place, feeling very stable, and had a positive motive.  I did wait until we were the only two in the room, and as she expressed again that this was unfamiliar territory, I responded by saying, “I am bipolar, and some of what we are seeing makes sense to me.”  She said that she wasn’t aware that I was, and her demeanor was so friendly and supportive, that I felt immediately accepted.  In the coming weeks, she would ask me questions about what it was like, and I would share honestly, and it helped her understand her student better.  I was glad that I disclosed my diagnosis, and I continued to work at that school happily for the next year.

An opportunity arose for me to move from being a teaching assistant to being an art teacher.  I was excited for the new beginning; I had been an art teacher for eight years in the past, and I was eager to begin my new job.  What I didn’t prepare for was how to teach during bipolar depression, and how to ask for what I needed to be successful.  I will tell that tale tomorrow.