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Ask HN: Can you work as a developer while taking medication for mental illness?

9 points by throwaway39485 ↗ HN
I'm a developer, and I've just realized that I probably have bipolar disorder, and maybe ADHD. (But I should go to a psychologist instead of self-diagnosing.) I go through periods of hypomania where I am extremely productive. I also have periods of depression where I'm not able to concentrate or get anything done.

It has been very difficult for me to hold down a job, or even finishing a big contract project. At my first startup job, I was really struggling to concentrate on my work. I think I ended up getting burned out and lost all motivation, so I had to quit (or I was probably going to get fired.)

I think I've been able to work around my mood swings by doing some freelance projects. I can usually hold it together and finish some work, and then I have a break. It has also been helpful to work 5-10 hours per week, or go full-time for a month or two.

However, I'm currently interviewing for a full-time job with a startup, so I will need to be reasonably productive for extended periods of time. I'll have a manager assigning me tickets to work on, and I'll probably have to work on a lot of really boring things, because that's just how it is when you're an employee. But it's a really awesome opportunity with a high salary, significant equity, and the whole team works remotely. I've also been really struggling to hold it together with contract work and side projects, so I need some stability for a while to build up my savings (and the startup "lottery ticket" would be nice.)

I was listening to a podcast recently where Stephen Fry talked about taking lithium. He said it worked well for him, so I think I would like to try that as well. But I've also heard that some medication can make everything fuzzy, or that it's harder to concentrate and get into the state of "flow".

Are there any developers here who have successfully managed their bipolar disorder with medication, and can still work as a developer?

7 comments

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evex
Same here, lost my job cause of burnout, didn't get a job for the past 1.5yrs. Lost.
neuroticfish
I take lamotrigine for epilepsy, but people also take it for bipolar disorder. Some days I feel fuzzy but typically have no issues. On days that I have trouble concentrating I just up my caffeine intake or try to focus on something that is more rote than analytical.
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stevenalowe
Take the job, hopefully it comes with insurance. Talk to a doctor. Get a brain scan. Finding the right medication and dosage for your exact condition(s) will take time. Flow-state is not magic, it can be learned, or re-learned if necessary. Good luck!
gaspoweredcat
i have never really had problems with my meds particularly, i cant speak for bipolar but ive had a plethora of various meds for ADD, depression and neuropathic pain and they never seemed to have any negative effect on my productivity

the only one i can place which did in a way was tramadol which seemed to rob me of the ability to get angry, you might think thats a good thing but sometimes getting a bit worked up about a problem actually helps me solve it

jetti
I have OCD and Schizoaffective Disorder. I have been on anti-psychotics for awhile as well as other medications to manage the obsessive thoughts. It has been pretty brutal to be honest. I have been prescribed Adderall to counteract the sedation from the anti-psychotics. I typically yo-yo (go on the meds when needed then stop when I feel like I can) on many of my meds because the side effects are terrible. It can get hard to be productive sometimes but I just deal with it knowing that eventually I will be productive again.

That being said, if you know you are having issues or are even a bit concerned about it I would recommend you stay away from the stress of a startup. Try getting a job at a larger company that moves at a lot slower pace. Also, if you are in the US, I would recommend disclosing any mental illnesses you may be diagnosed with to HR as it can help protect you with the American with Disabilities Act. If you don't disclose and end up having issues with performance due to the mental illnesses there isn't much you could do to protect yourself in that situation.

tedBronson
Talk to your doctor first. If you'll enjoy it you can try but never let it stress you.