Bipolar Depression: How to find your place in the workplace

[tolicodes]

Bipolar, depression, and mental illness is ubiquitous in the workplace, especially in tech. According to some studies, up to 52% of tech workers experience depression.

I have Bipolar I disorder and it’s had a major impact on my work and social life. I would stay at a job for 6 months, fall into a deep depressions or have a manic episode, and would promptly be fired/quit.

However, when I moved to California, I joined a small startup named HOVER. And thanks to their support I not only learned how to manage my Bipolar at work, but I learned about asking for what I need, and discover my true passions.

This talk will give practical info to employees and managers alike, and will describe strategies on managing your symptoms, supporting your team, and discovering/helping others discover their optimal work situation.

Benefits
Mental illness is a serious issue in the workplace. It's much more prevalent than most people assume, because it's still highly stigmatized to talk about your conditions.

Due to this, companies pass on or lose amazing developers, simply because they don't how to manage their symptoms and create a safe and supportive workplace environment. Online resources on how to do this are rather vague, and most HR departments aren't trained properly on handling employees with mental illness and creating a safe container for them to voice what they need.

I've been in the workforce for over 10 years, and it's been extremely challenging dealing with my symptoms. It was only the last 2 years that I started discovering strategies for discovering how I need to be supported, and what work accommodations work from me.

In the process, I discovered my passion (infrastructure tooling) and made amazing workplace relationships.

I would like to pass on everything I learned to the community and help others with mental illness come out and ask for what they need.

[jewel-andraia]

Hi @tolicodes! Thanks for pitching this talk. Sorry for the delay, I've sent this into the WaffleJS organizers for review.