People who struggle with mental health often have the most difficult time finding and maintaining a job. If you’re searching for the best jobs for bipolar disorder, you’re likely looking for work that offers flexibility, manageable stress, and a schedule that supports your mental health rather than working against it.
When it comes to bipolar disorder, manic and depressive episodes can often lead to various problems in the professional arena. These result in high levels of stress and are caused by several factors.
However, finding and maintaining a job doesn’t have to be difficult if your work allows you to take moments to manage your mental health. Some of the best options include affiliate marketing, freelance writing, consulting, and pet-related careers like veterinary work, all of which offer more control over your schedule and environment. Throughout this blog, we’re going to offer our opinions on the best jobs for someone with bipolar disorder.
Key Highlights
- Flexible, low-stress work suits bipolar disorder best. Careers like affiliate marketing, freelance writing, consulting, and veterinary work give you control over your schedule and reduce exposure to triggers like inconsistent hours and high-pressure environments.
- Certain job conditions can worsen symptoms. Fast-paced environments, irregular pay, short-notice scheduling, and demanding management are common workplace factors that make managing bipolar disorder more difficult.
- Coping strategies matter as much as career choice. Building a support system, sticking to treatment, eating well, keeping a consistent sleep schedule, and knowing when to step back are all essential to maintaining stability at work.
Table of Contents
Unhealthy Work Conditions
There are a few factors in a workplace that can make managing bipolar disorder difficult, including: ¹
- Fast-paced environment
- Inconsistent hours
- Inconsistent paychecks
- Short-notice hours
- Too much traveling
- Tough management or boss
Each factor can play its own significant role in your struggle. For example, irregular payment can often lead to uncertainty about making rent. Especially on a paycheck-to-paycheck budget. Or, short-notice hours may cause a person to disrupt their sleep schedule.
Before we consider what might be the best job for you, you need to take these factors into account. What is it that you want to avoid about your current work life? How do you want to build yourself, and what kind of work environment can make that happen?
By answering questions as such, you’re allowing yourself to understand the kind of work that’ll allow your mental health to find balance.
Best Jobs for Bipolar Disorder
If you struggle with bipolar disorder, you should seek out work that allows you to control your time. This allows you to work when energy is available and avoid situations that may be detrimental to your mental health. Jobs that are ideal for a person with bipolar disorder include:
Affiliate Marketing
A job in affiliate marketing requires you to refer various services and products to potential customers. It’s usually done through the internet which allows you to choose when you work.
Admittedly, an affiliate marketer is required to socialize a great deal. Even if it’s only through phone calls and video chats, it may take a toll on someone who’s also struggling with social anxiety.
Consulting
Independent consulting can be great for people who have a special talent. Whether it be video editing or web design, consider what you’re best at and learn to capitalize on it.
Entrepreneur
There’s no denying that starting a business is a difficult task. However, if you succeed, you’ll have a lot more flexibility in your schedule compared to those working under an employer.
Remember, building a business will take a lot of time and dedication. This isn’t one of those career paths that just happens overnight. With the right kind of patience, you will be able to succeed.
Freelance Writer
With the advent of the internet, a wave of writing opportunities has appeared online. Thousands have gotten the chance to work from home, on their own schedule, and build a client-based business over time.
People with bipolar disorder can benefit from this kind of position. Especially if they have a particular area of interest they can spread new knowledge about.
Hairstylist
Becoming a hairstylist allows you to get creative with your work. However, it’s important to understand how to go about a job as such.
Ultimately, hair stylists have two options: to work under a company or build a client base that allows them to freelance. For people with bipolar disorder, the latter is more attractive. Still, working under someone else in a barbershop is bound to have its perks, like an already-established client base.
Survey Taker
Admittedly, making a full-time income by taking surveys isn’t a realistic option. However, if you’re looking to get some extra revenue into your wallet, there’s no reason you can’t take surveys to make an extra few hundred a month.
Taking surveys is one of the easiest opportunities for people with bipolar disorder, as it allows you to decide your own schedule and requires very little from you. This extra income may just be the stress relief you’ve been waiting for.
Veterinarian
Numerous studies have shown that human-animal interaction has a positive effect on mental health. ² Though working as a veterinarian may be stressful, it can also provide you with a sense of purpose and mental satisfaction.
Still, if working within the medical field isn’t your style, there are other opportunities to work with animals. These include dog-walking, pet-sitting, and training animals for pet therapy.
Worst Jobs for Bipolar Disorder
Admittedly, entry-level jobs (food service, retail, etc.) are often the unhealthiest places for bipolar disorder. These fast-paced environments come with irregular hours and difficult management. You may struggle to keep up with the stress in the same way others do. Or you may find yourself going through an intense manic or depressive episode in the middle of a shift.
Still, professional-level jobs can be just as difficult to manage. If you’re young and struggling with bipolar disorder, take some time to consider what kind of career path may harm you. If you’re older and already locked into an unhealthy career, consider a new direction you may want to take and start working towards it.
The purpose of this list is to help you put yourself on the right career path; the following are the worst jobs for people with bipolar disorder:
Bartender
Any job with a nighttime shift is bound to cause difficulty in your sleep pattern. However, combining this with an atmosphere of alcohol is bound to be even more stressful.
Surrounding yourself with people who’ve been drinking too much may cause undesired pressures. And constantly being within the proximity of alcohol will make you vulnerable to temptations that can lead to a substance abuse disorder.
Customer Service/Salesperson
Some people with bipolar disorder may actually shine in customer service. However, if you also struggle with social anxiety, you’ll likely find customer service to be a nightmare.
People with mental health conditions are often vulnerable to receiving the emotions of those around them. ³ As a result, being around upset customers can have an effect on you.
Nursing
Even if the sight of blood doesn’t make you squeamish, nursing comes with several difficulties most people don’t consider. For example, you’ll be required to work long shifts, often late into the night.
You also have to consider what it’s like to be in an environment that focuses on the sick and chronically ill. How will this kind of environment inhibit your mental health?
Social Worker
Social workers take on the commendable task of helping other people better their lives. Yet, they do so at the cost of encountering situations of child/domestic abuse, drug abuse, and poverty. Again, consider how such a position may affect your mental health.
Tips for Coping with Bipolar Disorder at Work
Regardless of the career path you decide to take, the most important element of your job is to maintain your mental health. For those struggling with bipolar disorder within a workplace, we recommend you:
- Build a Support Group – Find people within your job who understand mental health and how it plays a role in your life. Though it may be difficult for you to open up about your condition, having the right people there for you can be significant when coping with symptoms.
- Continue With Treatment – If you receive treatment from a medical professional, stick to it. Your doctor will understand your mental health on a personal level and set you up on the right path.
- Eat Properly – Did you know your diet plays a major role in how your brain functions? This is due to something known as the brain-gut connection. ⁴ By avoiding unhealthy food, you’re avoiding potential chemical triggers that can be detrimental to mental health.
- Maintain a Healthy Sleep Schedule – Sleep is a vital factor in maintaining good mental health. Make sure you have a regular sleep schedule as this rhythm will help you avoid possible stress.
- Take It Easy – Remember, you’re bound to do your job better if you’re in the right mental state. Therefore, if you’re not feeling right, take the time to ease your mind. Whether it’s through a hobby or a vacation, make sure you find the time to focus on keeping your mental health together.
We all handle mental health differently. Therefore, you may have different ways of dealing with stressors. It’s not so much what you do that will lead to a better work-life as much as making sure you take the time to do it.
Final Word
Our above list of the best jobs for people with bipolar disorder is nothing more than a list of recommendations. You may be more interested in a career path that wasn’t mentioned here, and that’s okay.
The important thing when it comes to work and mental health is maintaining stability. If you can find opportunities that align with how you handle your mental illness, then you’re on your way to success.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Do I have to tell my employer I have bipolar disorder?
No. Under the ADA, you have a right to privacy and aren’t required to disclose a bipolar disorder diagnosis to your employer unless you choose to. However, disclosure may be necessary if you want to formally request workplace accommodations.
Is bipolar disorder considered a disability?
Yes. Bipolar disorder is recognized as a disability under both the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Social Security Administration (SSA). That said, a diagnosis alone doesn’t automatically qualify someone for ADA protection. You also need to show you can perform the job’s essential functions with or without accommodations.
Can I get workplace accommodations for bipolar disorder?
Yes. Employers are required to provide reasonable accommodations, such as flexible work hours, as long as doing so doesn’t create undue hardship for the business. Other common accommodations include extra breaks, noise-canceling headphones, and job coaching
Can someone with bipolar disorder work full-time?
It depends on the person. Your ability to sustain full-time work often depends on the type of bipolar disorder you have, along with the severity, frequency, and duration of your symptoms. Many people manage full-time roles successfully, especially with treatment and the right accommodations, while others do better with part-time or flexible arrangements.
What should I look for in a job if I have bipolar disorder?
Favorable working conditions include fair pay, job security, a sense of control over your work, and supportive relationships with coworkers. Consistent hours, remote or part-time flexibility, and creative outlets also tend to be better fits than jobs with long or unpredictable shifts.
References
¹ Woo JM, Postolache TT. The impact of work environment on mood disorders and suicide: Evidence and implications. Int J Disabil Hum Dev. 2008;7(2):185-200. doi: 10.1515/ijdhd.2008.7.2.185. PMID: 18836547; PMCID: PMC2559945.
² Martins CF, Soares JP, Cortinhas A, Silva L, Cardoso L, Pires MA, Mota MP. Pet’s influence on humans’ daily physical activity and mental health: a meta-analysis. Front Public Health. 2023 May 30;11:1196199. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1196199. PMID: 37325330; PMCID: PMC10262044.
³ National Research Council (US); Institute of Medicine (US); Woolf SH, Aron L, editors. U.S. Health in International Perspective: Shorter Lives, Poorer Health. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2013. 7, Physical and Social Environmental Factors. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK154491/
⁴ Mayer EA, Nance K, Chen S. The Gut-Brain Axis. Annu Rev Med. 2022 Jan 27;73:439-453. doi: 10.1146/annurev-med-042320-014032. Epub 2021 Oct 20. PMID: 34669431.
Leave a Reply