# Careers and Employment for those With Depersonalization



## Numb Ricky (Dec 31, 2011)

I'll be working with a specialist in vocational rehabilitation, but does anybody here have some ideas on careers for those with Depersonalization Disorder? I read on one rehabilitation site that those with this disorder should limit contact with the public and their coworkers,but I'm not sure if this is the advice provided to most individuals.

I'm new to all of this and I was just diagnosed with this disorder (at last) about a month ago.

Any information or advice would be appreciated.

Ricky in Florida


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## Jayden (Feb 9, 2011)

Numb Ricky said:


> I'll be working with a specialist in vocational rehabilitation, but does anybody here have some ideas on careers for those with Depersonalization Disorder? I read on one rehabilitation site that those with this disorder should limit contact with the public and their coworkers,but I'm not sure if this is the advice provided to most individuals.
> 
> I'm new to all of this and I was just diagnosed with this disorder (at last) about a month ago.
> 
> ...


I don't know where you found that but that's bullshit. Why would you want to limit yourself to work and public. Staying connected is a very healthy thing to maintain.


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## Infinitevoid (Mar 25, 2010)

Yea, unless the person literally cannot handle the work, they should be fine. The worst that happens to me is my memory is bad, but I try really hard to focus and take notes and stuff. (I work as a statistical researcher.) Yes, I have DP all day every day, but I live with it to get that paycheck.


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## kate_edwin (Aug 9, 2009)

Limeting contact wih people would make of worse. I don t think there would be any real restricions, not with treatment. I managed to graduate with honors while in the middle of a full dp disorder. Sure I'm not working, but, I don't think you should pick a career based on symptoms, just go with what you're good at or what you like. Something involving people or an activity that's grounding could help
I suppose, that depends on the person though


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## Reborn (Jun 24, 2011)

kate_edwin said:


> Limeting contact wih people would make of worse. I don t think there would be any real restricions, not with treatment. I managed to graduate with honors while in the middle of a full dp disorder. Sure I'm not working, but, I don't think you should pick a career based on symptoms, just go with what you're good at or what you like. Something involving people or an activity that's grounding could help
> I suppose, that depends on the person though


Totally agree.I just finished my last semester of university in an honours program aswell and I honestly didn't think I would be able to get through it with dp, but somehow I did. I've been starting to look for a jobs now and I know being forced to interact with people and not sit around the house thinking about dp is gonna help me a lot. I guess you just have to find something that you can manage with dp.


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## Jayden (Feb 9, 2011)

Reborn said:


> Totally agree.I just finished my last semester of university in an honours program aswell and I honestly didn't think I would be able to get through it with dp, but somehow I did. I've been starting to look for a jobs now and I know being forced to interact with people and not sit around the house thinking about dp is gonna help me a lot. I guess you just have to find something that you can manage with dp.


^ Congratz buddy keep it up, I got one more semester left of school. Hopefully I can handle it and I don't go insane or anything


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## Pain and Light (Jul 22, 2011)

Numb Ricky said:


> I'll be working with a specialist in vocational rehabilitation, but does anybody here have some ideas on careers for those with Depersonalization Disorder? I read on one rehabilitation site that those with this disorder should limit contact with the public and their coworkers,but I'm not sure if this is the advice provided to most individuals.
> 
> I'm new to all of this and I was just diagnosed with this disorder (at last) about a month ago.
> 
> ...


Wait....what? Where did you get that? Limiting contact with the public and coworkers?

I am a tier 2 technical support advisor for um, well, let's just say, you've heard of my company and leave it at that. I work in one of the company's largest tech support facilities- an office of several hundred people. One of the things that I really like about the job is that I have a LOT of really cool coworkers. This is a job that's really stressful for a lot of people, and being tier 2 means that *I* am literally taking on the most difficult and stressful situations that other people have been unable to deal with, either because a screaming customer keeps making unreasonable demands, because they just couldn't fix a problem, or something else.

Personally, I thrive in this job. I was a bit afraid of the stress when I was told I was going to be promoted to my current position, but I was very happy to find out that, despite the overall much higher potential for stressful situations due to its very nature, my current position also has certain elements built into it that make it much easier to manage the stress. Actually, I find that the ability for more interaction with my coworkers is one of those very helpful elements. Once I have a case, it's a very rare situation where I am able to escalate it elsewhere, whereas back in tier 1, I always had somewhere to escalate to. But in tier 2, we are far more able to identify different people's areas of strength and expertise and if I'm not sure what to do for one sort of problem, I know who to ask for advice, and if I have a different sort of problem, my first choice for help might be someone else. On the flip side, other people see me in that way too, people tend to come to me for help on certain types of problems more than others. And of course, we can all use each other for venting. Human interaction most definitely helps me to maintain a higher level of existing in the real world.

Some people in my company do this job from home. I couldn't do that for this very reason.

I would say, for me, the most DP-related issue that I have with my work is that I get these bouts of what I think is a really odd sort of vertigo from tie to time- they seem to come up most often when I spend a lot of time sitting at a computer, and it makes me feel like I'm in an MC Escher print or something- I literally can't really tell which end of me is up, I feel like I'm facing upside down, backwards, forwards, and sideways all at the same time. It tends to not be so good for the grip on reality. I've seen doctors about that before and they just shrug, tell me there's nothing wrong with me and to spend less time in front of a computer.

I've noticed, however, that the more time I spend pacing around while on calls instead of just sitting in front of the computer, the less likely this is to happen. So I've taken to spending most of my day on my feet and sitting down for just a few minutes at a time when I need to type more than a few words. Thankfully, my supervisor has recognized my need for pacing around and recently moved me to a desk where I have all the room for pacing that I want.

The upshot to this is that spending all day on my feet means I get a small degree of excercise throughout the day to my otherwise stationary job.


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## InfiniteDivine (Aug 9, 2011)

After experiencing DP/DR and dark bouts of depression I decided I wanted to use such experiences for helping others. What better person is there to empathize and understand someone than someone who has experience it first hand. I changed my major to social work last year and Just started a job helping people with mental illness through volunteers of america.

My dream would be to specialize in Dissociative Disorders. I want to be able to target people with DP/DR and not just lump them into bipolar/depression and maybe learn how to treat this condition.

I always believed that if life throws something your way that changes your experience drastically, maybe it's pointing you in a direction.


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## SSJ3Lotokun (Nov 21, 2011)

I've never really been one to seek a "career". With how unpredictable my life and the world as a whole is planning for the long term seems kind of silly.

I have been able to hold down a job for over 5 years now. I make enough to pay the bills. I'm pretty good at it. Good enough to not get fired but not so awesome that they have super-high expectations of me, which is about where I'd like to be. It's the sort of work where being depersonalized really comes in handy. Just let my body go on auto-pilot and do the tasks, while my mind goes wherever it wants to for that day.

I actually just started at a new location today so we'll see how that goes.


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## insaticiable (Feb 23, 2010)

InfiniteDivine said:


> After experiencing DP/DR and dark bouts of depression I decided I wanted to use such experiences for helping others. What better person is there to empathize and understand someone than someone who has experience it first hand. I changed my major to social work last year and Just started a job helping people with mental illness through volunteers of america.
> 
> My dream would be to specialize in Dissociative Disorders. I want to be able to target people with DP/DR and not just lump them into bipolar/depression and maybe learn how to treat this condition.
> 
> *I always believed that if life throws something your way that changes your experience drastically, maybe it's pointing you in a direction.*


THIS. ^


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## Visual (Oct 13, 2010)

Numb Ricky said:


> I'll be working with a specialist in vocational rehabilitation, but does anybody here have some ideas on careers for those with Depersonalization Disorder? I read on one rehabilitation site that those with this disorder should limit contact with the public and their coworkers,but I'm not sure if this is the advice provided to most individuals.
> 
> I'm new to all of this and I was just diagnosed with this disorder (at last) about a month ago.
> 
> ...


Ricky,

Employment choice can be a big decision. Just remember that if something doesn't fit well, they you can try other things.

How much you work with others and the nature of the work you do with others depends on your training, personality and severity of your problems. Some 'thrive' on conflict management. But many (particularly with anxiety disorders) suffer greatly in this environment. It seems ironic that some would advise working in conflict given that many on this forum believe DP to be an anxiety disorder, but hey, more power to them if it works for them.

There are several stories on this forum were someone took up customer service jobs and quickly broke down (just a few weeks) under it. And the majority of jobs are now service jobs - selling socks, hamburgers, etc.

Some work isolated jobs (crunching numbers, etc.). If you can have positive contact with coworkers - this is ideal. If you wish to go into robot mode that can be fine too.

In the USA, only 1 out of 6 actually like their job. This is sad. IMO try for work that you like and/or admire

I very much appreciate InfiniteDivine's comment, "_After experiencing DP/DR and dark bouts of depression I decided I wanted to use such experiences for helping others. What better person is there to empathize and understand someone than someone who has experience it first hand. I changed my major to social work last year and Just started a job helping people with mental illness through volunteers of america._." But of course this view is my bias on the issue

Each must work through the 'employment question'. In the end it is getting money to survive. But if you work at it, you may find joy as well. Dr. Bernie Siegel has some interesting book you may enjoy reading - though the topic surrounds surviving terminal illnesses, the real message is about making sure you enjoy life.

Best of hopes for you&#8230;


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## kate_edwin (Aug 9, 2009)

Dissocition isn't lumped into bp and depression…Its a cometely dif category


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## Numb Ricky (Dec 31, 2011)

Hello everyone and THANKS for the great information that all of you posted. I really appreciate your efforts.

I got that tyidbit from the following site:

http://www.mdguidelines.com/depersonalization-disorder

It was on the bottom marked Accomidations/Restrictions. I really like working with people, at first, but then I can see myself slowly drifting off; sometimes I actually resent the intrusions on my other worlds. I think it may be anxiety, but I'm not sure... I just give up rather than set myself up for failure.

It's very difficult for me to get a grip on things. It's like I'm well beyond fear or anxiety -- I don't have fears of anything... Even my own death.

Again -- APPRECIATE all the input!!!

Sincerely,
Ricky


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## Numb Ricky (Dec 31, 2011)

Jayd said:


> I don't know where you found that but that's bullshit. Why would you want to limit yourself to work and public. Staying connected is a very healthy thing to maintain.


Hello and thanks for the reply. I found it here:

http://www.mdguidelines.com/depersonalization-disorder

Near the bottom.

Thanks for the reply and your input!

Sincerely,
Ricky


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## InfiniteDivine (Aug 9, 2011)

kate_edwin said:


> Dissocition isn't lumped into bp and depression&#8230;Its a cometely dif category


Yes I know. What I meant was many "professionals" do lump dissociative disorders into depression or BP without realizing it's a different situation all together. That's why I wish there were more people who understood DP/DR and other dissociative disorders, so this doesn't happen as much. Too many people are misinformed due to lack of knowledge on the "professional" end. Not that it's these psychiatrist's fault, I think it's more that DP/DR is just finally gaining momentum so it's still relatively unknown by many. That's just how I perceive things, could be wrong.


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## kate_edwin (Aug 9, 2009)

Oh so you ment miss diagnosing, yeah I've gotten bp, a little psychotic and borderline all before I got the right dx like 5 years ago


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## mcalohan (Dec 30, 2011)

I like seeing people for a minute or two at most. I don't do well shutting off from them completely so quick interactions is what I prefer.

I really like delivering pizzas. Constant music keeps my head distracted, fast interactions at the door, I have gps to keep me focused on what I'm doing, and there's not a lot of stress involved, keeps a roof over my head and the bills semi-paid.


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## Visual (Oct 13, 2010)




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