Is it ok,hard and possible to hold down a job if you are taking an anti depressant?

Question

for something like OCD ?
Would working actually help,and take your mind off the compulsions ?
also do anti depressents slow you down,so you funtion at a much slower level and you might have trouble with concentration
do you think people with witha mental health problem can hold a job down like a person with no problems
I have a sister with a problem and i just wanted to get other peoples opinions, thankyou

Answer 1

may depend on the job,maybe a job looking after people or animals for example would probably take their mind off their own problems.A stressfull job, obviously would make it worse.

Answer 2

If the anti~depressant that you are taking is working correctly you should not feel stoned or slowed down. If you have mental health problems working should be easier for you when you ARE on the proper medication. It should also help with concentration. It depends on what the mental health problem is as to how someone functions in a job. It also depends on if the person is getting proper medical treatment. I have held a job for the past 15yrs and I am OCD with an anxiety disorder and have battled depression my entire life. I am a hard worker and would be welcomed back by any of my former employers in a heart beat. I have left jobs due to complications with pregnancies, relocating, back injury, or better job. However, I have never been asked to leave a job nor been fired. So yes it is possible for a lot of people with mental health problems.

Answer 3

Yes..
Even someone with a mental health problem CAN hold down a job.. I have been on anti-depressants for over 10 years now.. and if anything else? they HELP me focus on what i am doing.. they also helpl control the emotions as well when needed.. The only draw back is, it suppresses ALL emotions unless she is taking the wrong kind of anti-depressant.. This draw back can mean, sexually, showing emotions to family at times.. but most of this is because of to high of a dose..
OCD " if you are meaning over the counter drugs.. are NOT a good substitute for a prescrption medication that is control with a doctor's supervision.. i would never recommend anyone taking a medication for this type of illness without talking to their doctor.. this is a disease, not something you can treat like a cold or a headache.. it must be treated in order to maintain..
I hope this help you..

Answer 4

Holding a job down while on anti-depressants works well for some people. I suggest your sister tries something easy and that she enjoys to see if she can. Yes, it is possible to work with mental illness if the person can control it and it does not affect the work. I suggest your sister gets some talking therapy though, if she has not tried it already.

Answer 5

It all depends on the severity of the illness. At the lower level anti-depressants help by reducing anxiety and the dread of facing challenges everyday life presents the person. If the illness is severe enough for the medication to have a significant effect on concentration and/or job performance, perhaps it's best that that person speak to their GP on what options they have with their treatment (ie: is it ok to lower the dose? is there another drug that wouldn't have the same effect? are there other treatments that they can refer the person for?).

Answer 6

Medications are there you help a person function normally, or as normally as possible, and therefore should help any person with mental illness in holding down a job. As a professional who has used anti-depressants for fifteen years, I have to say that it is very possible for someone to hold down a job while on medication for mental illness. Though I do not know the degree of your sister's illness, I know people with OCD who live very productive lives thanks to medication and proper management of their illness.
Medications for mental illness shouldn't slow you down, help you "get stoned" as another user put it, or "suppress all emotions" like another user said. If these are reactions to the medication, you should try to find another one.

Answer 7

Well lets put it this way if people did not work because they were on antidepressants than there would be no such thing as unemployment because ...There would be sooo many jobs and not enough people to fill them... There are hundreds or thousands of people in the US alone that take antidepressants and also maintain a full time job it is called LIFE >>>>

Answer 8

Providing the medication is taken regularly and the employer knows about the condition i am sure that she can keep a job plus being active will help her with her depression. But before she gets a job tell her to see her GP and seek his/her advice.

Answer 9

You are allowed to be stoned at work when your drug of choice is a chemical sold by a large pharmeceutical company with a powerful lobby. If your drug is an all-natural plant product that you can grow at home you could be fired and arrested.

Answer 10

i have taken anti depressants for years and was not only able to work, i got promoted twice! .

sometimes the side effects suck. but it is worth it.

at another point i was SO ILL i could not work and the medicine was so intense it and the illness made me kinda dopey...but i could not have worked off the meds.


good luck.
also contact www.nami.org