-
9 votes
-
Have you ever been discriminated against because of a disability (specifically mental illness?)
Hey gang! So it has been a minute! I alluded to my plan to venture off into the woods in prior posts but didn't go into too much detail. Any who, I'm back but not on my own accord. The reason I...
Hey gang!
So it has been a minute! I alluded to my plan to venture off into the woods in prior posts but didn't go into too much detail. Any who, I'm back but not on my own accord.
The reason I ask this question is because it just happened to me. I've struggled with depression and anxiety for going on 15 years, I've talked to a lot of people about it, gotten help, and received a lot of support over the years. I have never had it blow back in my face like it just did. Super long story kind of short:
- I want to offer some context here, that not more than a week prior, my organization had a "getting vulnerable" meeting whereby we were asked (but not required) to share some information about ourselves with our crews. Crews worked and lived together in remote back country settings for months at a time, to be honest it went pretty well. I did not open up too much at the time as I had just met everybody, but eventually I got more comfortable.
- I told the wrong person at my work, my direct supervisor (I was in no danger at any point during my employment, this information was given in a contextual fashion. Because we work so closely together for weeks at a time and also live together, these types of things tend to come out.)
- They told the wrong people (management).
- I was talked to for 5 hours in a closed door meeting with the top brass of the organization (read: interrogated and asked to give a comprehensive psychological background, even though I had already given them a topical briefing during the hiring process.)
- I was pulled out of the field for liability reasons (I openly objected to this, saying that said field was best for my mental health.)
- I was placed on an "in-town" crew that I did not want to join (I openly objected to this as well.)
- I tried to exist on the new crew, but found it immediately and chronically untenable. My new coworkers were OK people, but the stark contrast in personalities between my old and new crew was jarring. Given our line and nature of work, this is super important and there's no way top brass didn't know about this. I voiced this and once again requested to be placed back in the back country at a base camp, I was ignored.
- My mental health began to catch up to me. I did not like my position in life or at work, having to live in the city which is something I came out here to entirely avoid was crushing any and all morale I tried to work up.
- The writing was on the wall. I didn't like it there anymore, and my employer didn't seem to care (despite their claims) about where I was within the organization.
- I voluntarily resigned due to mental health reasons rather than just walk out. The urge to entirely burn this bridge and emphatically explain to them why what they did was so improper was incredibly strong, but I decided not to. This organization is a big name in our field and the field isn't all that big, they stated that I'd be welcome back, I'd sooner clean a peanut butter covered shag carpet with my tongue.
The general mood and sentiment during all of my conversations with staff members could be described as tense. The way in which I was treated during all of those meetings was as though I was a conglomeration of suicidal, homicidal and a direct threat to anybody near me. I could literally see their brains doing very careful dance numbers as they walked over what they thought were eggshells, when at no point was that the case in my view. Their actions, disguised as being motivated by empathy, came straight out of the Harvard Business School of Cover Your Ass. At one point they mentioned they had a psychologist on retainer that they were consulting. I have seen so many damn therapists, psychiatrists, psychologists, shrinks and every other name in the book over 15 years. I have never met one that would ever make any absolute statements or suggest any concrete actions before even meeting a patient. Their inability to even empathize with what I had been going through was apparent. At no point did they seem to consider the human in the room, it was always "we appreciate what you bring", "you are a good resource to have", and the worst of all "we hear you, but..." Holy fuck the lingering but was bad. "I'm not racist, but...", dude sit the fuck down.
So that happened within a week or so. There's quite a few more details but I don't want to make the entire point of this post to rant (even though that's what it has turned into.) I am now jobless, homeless as housing was through my work, in an entirely new city to me and floating on savings. It's not too bad to be honest. This is not my first homeless (hobo, vagabond, rubber tramp) experience/adventure, I'm not financially comfortable (I'm on borrowed time) but I'm not broke and honestly I'm in a good place mentally. I've been camping in the woods and I've got everything I need to survive. I'm even super involved in a local activist group, if that's any testament to how comfortable I've become in my current position.
So, does this sound familiar to anybody here? Have you been discriminated against in this fashion? How'd you react? Cope? Where did you go from there? I'd like to hear from others to simply know I'm not alone in this bullshit. I've been in support groups for mental health, and other reasons, but I've never realized the need for this subset of people to seek support. It's been 10 days now and I'm honestly still in shock.
Feel free to get as vulnerable as you want, I won't tell your fucking inept boss.
20 votes -
You've been through a lot this year and it looks like you need the perfect place to let your frustrations out – record your scream and we'll release it in Iceland
7 votes -
How to know you’re not insane (And how a Cards Against Humanity staff writer was fired)
14 votes -
Employees at Crisis Text Line tried telling the board about a pattern of racial insensitivity at the company — but when that didn’t work, they went to Twitter
7 votes -
Crisis Text Line CEO fired amid staff revolt
6 votes -
Science fiction builds mental resiliency in young readers
7 votes -
Finnish basic income pilot improved wellbeing – first major study of scheme comes as economic toll of coronavirus prompts fresh interest in idea
13 votes -
Lockdown productivity: Spaceship you
16 votes -
Hyperdome - the safest place to reach out
5 votes -
That discomfort you’re feeling is grief
8 votes -
Sixteen and evangelical
10 votes -
Interactive media for self-care
5 votes -
I'm meta-anxious about coronavirus and the panic it's inducing
I'm usually the least anxious person among all the people I know, even when shit is hitting the fan. I practically revel in hardships for the problem solving. But, what is freaking me out right...
I'm usually the least anxious person among all the people I know, even when shit is hitting the fan. I practically revel in hardships for the problem solving.
But, what is freaking me out right now is this mass panic. It started off as a joke but now it's real, people are literally selling toilet paper on craigslist of whatever. Maybe it's still a joke, I don't know. But mass hoarding of important goods seems to be causing disruptions already, from a lack of toilet paper to a shortage of surgical masks for medical professionals.
I would like to ask the community here what they think about this and how they expect things to go on. Are we going to have a second-order crisis in supply shortages? Are shipping route delays going to hit us on top of the local supply shortages? Because right now it's feeling apocalyptic, and I'm struggling between not acting like a selfish hoarder but also making sure I can get through this.
EDIT: Toilet paper is just a prominent example, not my primary concern (we have plenty still). I'm more concerned about e.g. pharmacy goods and produce, since where I live literally 95% of our produce is imported.
EDIT 2: This article articulates what is on my mind much better: An Infectious Diseases Specialist Reflects on COVID-19
26 votes -
Greenland has the world's highest suicide rate, and teenage boys are especially vulnerable
9 votes -
Confessions of a slaughterhouse worker
23 votes -
The new breed of sex addicts - who don't have sex
10 votes -
The number of teenagers registered as girls at birth who have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria has increased by almost 1,500 percent in ten years in Sweden
10 votes -
What I learned about life at a company that deals in dead bodies
5 votes -
I worry for my teenage boys – the beauty standards for young men are out of control
28 votes -
YouTube moderators are being required to sign a statement acknowledging the job could give them PTSD
26 votes -
Given up sugar? Great, now it’s time to cut the news from your diet
26 votes -
Untitled Mental Health I
I'm not quite like you A few words and that's it The façade fades Crumbles The carefully constructed mood dies Coping mechanisms defeated The castle is compromised A strong exterior only goes so...
I'm not quite like you A few words and that's it The façade fades Crumbles The carefully constructed mood dies Coping mechanisms defeated The castle is compromised A strong exterior only goes so far Each word pulls stones from the foundation Fragile walls, fragile heart I retreat to my secret home Away from the swords and arrows and fire No one can reach me here Safe and quiet and in control Equally secure, equally secluded19 votes -
The terror queue - Google and YouTube moderators speak out on the work that's giving them PTSD
13 votes -
Companion dog acquisition may reduce loneliness among community dog owners
6 votes -
On finding the freedom to rage against our fathers
8 votes -
Stockholm to stage Avicii tribute concert to benefit mental health awareness
4 votes -
Men
41 votes -
We tried to do vanlife right. It broke us down.
11 votes -
Anxiety looks different in men and often appears as anger, muscle aches or alcohol use
7 votes -
Not with a Bang, but a Letter: How Violet Evergarden rewrites traditional World War I narratives
3 votes -
My religious OCD convinced me God would never love me
6 votes -
Where disease stopped and my brother began: Coming to terms with a sibling's suicide
3 votes -
The Trevor Project releases the results of its inaugural National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health
15 votes -
Men have no friends and women bear the burden
27 votes -
The loneliness problem in LA starts with traffic. Could it end with a walk?
6 votes -
Where's masculinity headed? Men's groups and therapists are talking.
14 votes -
The American Dream is killing us
14 votes -
'I'd rather go to heaven than live here as a boy': Inside the lives of Australian trans children
9 votes -
Do trigger warnings actually work? Researchers are divided over whether warnings about sensitive content help or harm people who have experienced trauma.
7 votes -
Taking mushrooms for depression cured me of my atheism: Psilocybin not only eased my depression, it showed me a new way to live.
22 votes -
Burger King is the latest brand to use depression as a marketing tool
11 votes -
Ketamine may relieve depression by repairing damaged brain circuits
12 votes -
Bigger than that - complex thoughts on a life spent being the short guy
10 votes -
This is what the life of an incel looks like
32 votes -
Loneliness
41 votes -
Links between gut microbes and depression strengthened
10 votes -
I am staying home on New Year's Eve, and I'm totally fine about it
13 votes -
Disturbing details emerge about Majak Daw leading up to his bridge incident
3 votes -
The real roots of American rage - How anger became the dominant emotion in our politics and personal lives—and what we can do about it
22 votes