Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Bullying
- 16 Oct 07, 9:41 PM
I have experienced bullying on more than one occasion in my working life. I seem to be a natural target. Why? I don鈥檛 know. I seem to invoke a feeling of inadequacy in some people for some reason, and I鈥檓 not afraid to stand up to them either.
How difficult is it to detect bullying if you are bipolar? Well, it鈥檚 no more difficult than for anyone else, provided that you evaluate the evidence.
Yes, we may have occasional episodes of illness that can be severe and include paranoia and delusions, but the majority of the time the illness can go into remission, and be managed by medication and lifestyle so that we are just like anybody else (but with an underlying vulnerability that can be ruthlessly exploited by the bully).
And that鈥檚 where Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) techniques come in very useful in order to detect and manage bullying. CBT teaches you to look at the evidence for what is happening. Did she ignore me on purpose, or is she just having a bad day? Did she criticise my work unfairly, or was there some truth in the remark? Did she deliberately exclude me from the activity or was there a logical reason for doing so? Did she refuse me training or holidays for a good reason or was it just malicious?
I have found CBT an invaluable tool in recognising that bullying is happening so that I can survive and beat the bully. If you suspect that you are being bullied then it is very important to seek help from your GP, consultant or CPN, as they can write letters of support that you are suffering from anxiety or reactive depression as a result of the bullying (and not just a mental illness). This means that you will be covered by the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and they cannot claim that you were making it all up due to your bipolar disorder.
It is also important to log each incident (date, time, what happened and any witnesses) and gather the necessary evidence (emails, notes of telephone calls etc.) if you wish to take it further with your employer.
For further information about how to survive the bully visit the .
Have you ever been bullied at work because of your disability? How did you deal with it and what was the outcome?
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Advice and support for overcoming discrimination in the workplace for people with bipolar disorder and other mental health conditions
Comments
The problem with this is that your doctor only knows why you are anxious or depressed because you tell him. He can't read your mind. So it all comes down to two factors: does he believe you and/or will he simply go along with what you say.
You are right, your GP can only reflect and support what you tell them and give a diagnosis.
Obviously documentary evidence to support your anxiety/reactive depression helps e.g. a letter inviting you to a disciplinary or capability hearing listing the reasons why you have been summoned.