Bipolar here. When I was diagnosed, though not in a FAANG, and asked for accommodation HR, my managers and company owners went against me and fired me. They didn't care about my diagnosis and was against the law but they preferrer to pay me off with a severance agreement and let me go than to understand what mental illness is about.
TBH I don't blame them. This shit is really hard to grasp even to my self. Therefore I only have one very good advice: fake it and never ever tell anyone about it. Not even your friends, less your coworkers.
Mental illnesses are not even understood at medical or research level. I honestly believe this can only be understood by very well trained professionals or anyone who experience the symptoms themselves or from a very close relative. It's really hard to be compassionate with this stuff.
My advice again, keep your mouth shut up, fake it and have a list of very good excuses. Say you have cancer, idk, anything will be better than going out with the mental illness. It's a path of no return and can very well kill all growth in your career as people will talk and place red flags you can't remove thereafter.
Life is way more important than our jobs. Don't try to push more than you physically can, even if you believe you can archive more (specially in mania phase).
Thanks for making this comment. I’ve often thought alone similar lines.
The state of mental health advocacy is shallow and hyper positive. They imagine that mentally ill people are just one mental trick or accommodation removed from being able to fit in to our new inclusive culture.
Instead, it’s more like an extremely junior employee giving a presentation to prospective applicants that has them making colorful, three dimensional “modern” resumes that I know would get tossed in the dumpster by any hiring manager at the firm.
Not to use 2020’s favorite word: but it’s like being gaslit by a person that isn’t old enough to understand what they’re saying isn’t true.
“You’re gaslighting me!”
[honest] “No I’m not!”
…lol… this is based on an example from my work. I wish I could put to words just how trendy their recommendation template was.
With a lot of people, once they know (or just believe) you have some kind of mental illness, you no longer have a personality or character, you have a collection of symptoms. That's a big part of what the stigma is.
Yeah, don't mention it to anyone at work, ever. If you happen to be at work and a bottle of prozac falls out... that's for your "premature ejaculation" problem (which while awkward and embarrassing, is less detrimental than your chronic clinicial depression.)
Risperdol? Nope, not for anything antipsychotic. That's for your nerve pain in your toes.
Etc, etc.
TBH I don't blame them. This shit is really hard to grasp even to my self. Therefore I only have one very good advice: fake it and never ever tell anyone about it. Not even your friends, less your coworkers.
Mental illnesses are not even understood at medical or research level. I honestly believe this can only be understood by very well trained professionals or anyone who experience the symptoms themselves or from a very close relative. It's really hard to be compassionate with this stuff.
My advice again, keep your mouth shut up, fake it and have a list of very good excuses. Say you have cancer, idk, anything will be better than going out with the mental illness. It's a path of no return and can very well kill all growth in your career as people will talk and place red flags you can't remove thereafter.
Life is way more important than our jobs. Don't try to push more than you physically can, even if you believe you can archive more (specially in mania phase).
Good luck, hope you are doing as well as you can.