kimbell1
Enthusiast
Reged: 08/20/03
Posts: 274
Loc: Route 666, Painville, Texas 6...
|
|
A friend of mine has had a horrible 2004. First she had her only parent die after 3 years of watching her waste away in a nursing home then a hospice. My friend begins treatment for clinical depression. Her boss starts getting on her about late deadlines since her department was cut from 4 people under her to 2 people the prior year due to a massive layoff . She routinely worked from 8-9 AM to midnight or longer at least 2 days a week to try to stay caught up plus her regular 8 hour workdays. Some weeks she would work night and day with no time except to grab a sandwich from a vending machine. She has even worked holidays this year to stay caught up due to personnell shortage. There had been talk of getting her another person in her department a few months ago but suddenly her boss siad 'it's not going to happen'.
She is not successful despite her best efforts and finally tells this SOB of a boss that she is under treatment for depression. She also goes to the company's on employee assistance program that basically just gives lip service to an employees's mental health (4 sessions and you are thrown out as a rule-it is not a long term program)
The company is re-organized a few weeks ago and some of her management duties are given to others after her boss first humiliates her by taking away most of her management responsibilities before the re-organization.
Meanwhile she is gaining weight because of the depression meds (I gained about 60 pounds once taking those things before I stopped) and her depression has caused her to become obese. This creates another vicious circle of her having no energy and the depression has made her a chronic procrastinator both in our relationship and at work.
Basically she is overwhelmed, not well liked in the company because she has become an emotional basket case and all her friends were laid off when they had a massive reduction in force the prior year .
She was told by her boss that he was going to let her take courses that the company offers to improve her deteriorating skills. One woman who is her enemy is getting the chance to improve her deficiencies. But last Thursday, she was unceremoniously fired. She did get a small severance package and a form that she has to sign . I suspect that she won't get this package until she signs away her right to sue. I am begging her to let an attorney look at that form and I want to look at it also since I dealt with a lot of legal issues when I worked. But I am no labor law specialist.
I am handicapped and worked for a while under the Americans with Disabilities Act. I know that Bush Junior took a lot of the teeth out of what his own father considered his Best if kept off the board jewel during the tenure as president. I worked under the old ADA with some teeth.
I have pleaded with her to talk to the law firm that handled my social security case and they handle a multitude of areas.
She has no savings except for 2 retirement plans that will be heavily taxed if she withdraws money from them. She is massively in debt due in part to the depression (I too have money control issues which is a sign of bi-polar disorder) She was saying that a few weeks ago that it had ben one year in her first home at the age of 47. She always rented and grew up extremely poor.
Despite a lot of obstacles, she over-came her background, went to college and has been earning about $100,000 a year as purchasing manager. There is a lot that I probably should put into this post but I have tried to make it as quick and simple as I can.
She will lose her house and have to file for bankruptcy in all probability.
All because the SOB just took a dislike to her (he did not hire her but he is a golden boy (God I HATE those kind of people) by upper management. The company is run by a bunch of idiots.
I had to vent a bit because I am so ANGRY about what happened and I am so FRUSTRATED that she won't see an attorney. This is Texas and a right to work state but even in these slave states, workers have some rights, don't they.
I know that Trampy is extremely well versed in law and there are others that seem to know a lot about the law or maybe have had similar experiences.
I am close to this person and I will see her Saturday. I will check back and hopefully find some useful information that might help her.
BTW The company did not make ANY accommodation for her depression. That was a big NO-NO under the old ADA. But I don't know a lot about Junior's watered down version.
I would like to have about half an hour with her former boss and maybe his boss in private. They need to experience some Texas justice  .
Edited by kimbell1 (09/25/04 12:50 AM)
|
Sweetz
Diamond Mind
Reged: 05/11/02
Posts: 764
Loc: Texas!
|
|
sorry this won't be long, I'm dead tired. I did find this quote in the laws.
Quote:
Involuntary work separation:
Under the Texas Payday Law, an employee who leaves involuntarily must be given the final pay no later than six calendar days following the last day of work.
In an unemployment claim, the employer that initiated the work separation has the burden of proving misconduct connected with the work as the reason for discharge.
Post-termination benefits eligibility under company benefit plans is often affected by involuntary work separations. If the discharge was for "cause" or misconduct, such benefits are often reduced or denied. Under COBRA, an employee who was terminated for "gross misconduct" is ineligible for continuation coverage under the company's health plan.
I would definately have her look at this website to get other info and presentit to him. The url is: web page
--------------------
"If you choose not to decide you still have made a choice."
|
Opie_Yates
Old Hand
Reged: 08/11/03
Posts: 455
|
|
Even though I'm broke and in debt for the time being, I have no regrets for going out on my own and starting my own business. US companies seem to all be run by idiots now. Never, ever again.
--------------------
Better living through the pharmaceutical sciences.
|
timetogo
Journeyman
Reged: 07/07/04
Posts: 70
|
|
Maybe your friend should sign up for unemployment compensation immediately and take it easy for awhile. Then she could work on all of her other issues without the stress of job-hunting or working. After a period of time, she can start applying for another job. People get laid off and fired all the time. It's not the end of the world. It sounds like she needs to work on getting her physical and mental problems under control, then she will be ready to re-enter the workforce. I also lost my job and decided to change careers. I am now going to school full-time. (I am well into middle-age) This is not easy for me. I am racking up a sizable debt with student loans, and working crummy, low-paying part-time jobs to try to get by. The point is, stuff happens. There are always options. I think your friend should just take a deep breath, relax, and try to realize that her life is not ending just because of one job. Perhaps she could start by making a list of what her immediate and biggest issues are, and work on solving those. Then she can start thinking about what she wants to do in the future. I guess the point is that there are many, many people who have been in her shoes, but it is not the end of the world, even though it seems overwhelming at first.
Timetogo
|
ReOkie
Board Addict
Reged: 02/20/04
Posts: 314
Loc: Oklahoma
|
|
Would she have been able to have a doctor say she was unable to work due to depression thus possible qualifying for some type of disability benefits?
As a business owner, if someone cannot do their job, does that mean one must work with him/her until they can do their job properly?
I see the benefits of having laws in place to assist workers who need it. I hope your friend gets help and can get back into the swing of things.
ReOkie
--------------------
Remember son, watch out for the big panties!-Al Bundy
|
Eeyore27
Board Addict
Reged: 07/05/04
Posts: 374
Loc: Where Misery loves Company U...
|
|
Kimbel,
I am sorry to hear about what happened to your friend. I find it appalling how some companies treat their employees once they disclose that they are being treatment for a Mental Health disorder. I'm not exactly sure what the laws about this are in this situation, especially since she possibly might have signed her rights away under false pretenses, but I would definitely encourage her to at least consult a lawyer about her legal rights, especially with all of the extenuating circumstances that she has been through in the last year. If she was willing to bend over backward for the company prior to losing her parent (or during for that matter), then that clearly shows that they are virtually punishing her for seeking Mental Health treatment over things that were, and not under her control.
It reminds me of how a couple of years ago, a coworker of mine was suddenly fired because she stopped taking her depression medication because she was trying to get pregnant. My old company flat out fired her with no notice, because apparently she had started acting erratically around the children (I was working in the Childcare field, at the time). I know that these are two totally different situations, and to be honest, as much as I've grown my own reasons for having contempt for my former company, I could kind of understand why they let her go because of the fact that she was responsible for the safety of these children. What I didn't agree with was how the company treated her as far as their approach was when they fired her. She was called into the office and was just basically was told to gather her things and leave at that very moment, and there was no severance pay involved, but they did make her sign paperwork confirming that she and the company had come to an "agreement" that she was no longer employed by these greedy fiends.
After that happened, I was terrified that my company was going to find out that I was being treated for and on medication for my Anxiety & Panic disorder, so I never confided that to anyone that I worked with. It's terrible that some of us are in a position to where we feel as if we need to "live a lie" in our work environments, but as you said, once your friend was being treated for a MH disorder, that's when the company started to give her a bunch of grief. So instead of going through it, there are still many people who simply cannot afford to let that kind of information get out, otherwise, their jobs are in jeopardy.
But your friend's situation definitely sounds like it is worth looking into, because I don't really know if there is a different set of ground rules when it comes down to whatever profession you're in. I would definitely try to encourage her to not take your company treating her this way lying down, because in the end, all it accomplishes is reinforcing the old stigmas that, unfortunately, seem to be plaguing anyone with a MH disorder.
You would think that by now, things would have changed to the point to where people would realize that just because you're being treated for a MH disorder it doesn't necessarily diminish your capacity as far as your job performance is concerned, but when your company flat out fires you over an issue like this, it just seems like another case of prejudice against someone who is suffering from a disease, and is doing their best by seeking treatment for it.
The more I think about it, the more it sickens me how society as a whole is just becoming more and more callous over time. I have one word that could help make this all go away for her, and that word is: Media. Now, before you get ahead of yourself and know for sure that it is something that she would never consider doing, just bear in mind that in many cases, just the word alone will scare the doo doo out of a company to the point to where they'll give into anyone to avoid the bad publicity, especially now that they're virtually committing a crime by firing your friend based on the fact that she is having MH difficulties. Discrimination is discrimination, no matter how you slice it. Companies do not want their names broadcasted all over the news associated with a discrimination suit attached to it. I'm not saying that she should necessarily go through with it, but just the very threat alone might work in her favor, and if that doesn't, then you should keep on encouraging her to seek legal counsel. This company should not be allowed to get away with treating somebody so unfairly, especially when they're down!!
I hope things turn out better for your friend, and like I said, tell her to fight for her rights!!
Eeyore
--------------------
"How does it feel to be locked inside another dream that never had a chance of being realized?" ~ Slipknot
|
kimbell1
Enthusiast
Reged: 08/20/03
Posts: 274
Loc: Route 666, Painville, Texas 6...
|
|
One poster did e mail me the name of a lawyer to contact in Dallas, Texas. This is where we both live.
I think that she DOES have a way to get her job back and I also think she needs a breather.
What I am going to do is try to get her to call the lawyer ande if anyone know any that would be good in employment problems, please PM.
Sould I try 'tough love'?
I read her severance package agreement. She has (I think) a week to sign it and a week (I know for sure since it stuck in my mind), to change her mind about signing.
She has filed for unemployment. Speaking of which I did work as a tax auditor for the Texas Workforce Commission but that was over 3 years ago. I did pick up some information on the claims side but I am forgetting it.
Plase continue to post or pm if you have any more ideas.
Thank you for all your help and remeber. Even if you think that an idea might not seem important, it might be.
|
Opie_Yates
Old Hand
Reged: 08/11/03
Posts: 455
|
|
My wife is an employment attorney, and she has been successful against several companies who have made employees sign termination agreements either under duress or with unconcsionable clauses.
--------------------
Better living through the pharmaceutical sciences.
|
Eeyore27
Board Addict
Reged: 07/05/04
Posts: 374
Loc: Where Misery loves Company U...
|
|
Kimbel,
Well, since I'm not a lawyer, I really can't dispense any more advice on the legal end of it other than to say tell your friend BY NO MEANS to sign that document until an attorney looks at it first. Like I said, it sounds like out and out discrimination, and I feel as if she is being treated unfairly by your company. Good luck to the both of you, and I sincerely hope that it will all work out in her favor, in the end.
Take care & Good luck!!
Eeyore
--------------------
"How does it feel to be locked inside another dream that never had a chance of being realized?" ~ Slipknot
|
kimbell1
Enthusiast
Reged: 08/20/03
Posts: 274
Loc: Route 666, Painville, Texas 6...
|
|
The hardest thing is getting my friend to get out of the denial stage over her mother's death let alone this. She has not even bought a headstone for her mother's grave. I don't think she can deal with what that means-the finality that her mom is gone.
What a year for her. No one except a few people and of course our DEA friends should have such a years.
I will stay on her but she is beginning to wear me out with her inaction to the important things.
Wednesday she is going to a company sponsored out placement program over the next two days. The woman running the show said that she was the only one to contact her from her former company.
My friedn and I both think that her former boss wanted to fire her long ago but had to wait for the right moment (the small layoff that seems to be a personality purge) since she mentioned that she is being treated for depression.
She thinks that they have a file on her and things she has messed up lately and they probably do. But this is one of the problems of depression.
We live in such a heartless world with a few eceptions-like you people that post to this thread for example.
Thanks and keep the ideas coming-even dirty tatics that you can PM for that if you want.
--------------------
Paranoia is just hightened awareness.
|
Eeyore27
Board Addict
Reged: 07/05/04
Posts: 374
Loc: Where Misery loves Company U...
|
|
Kimbel,
Well, I can kind of relate with your friend as far as her inaction goes. Not that I can relate to losing a parent, I never want to know what that is like, and hope that I won't have to deal with that for a very long time. But I can relate with her about her reluctance to fight to get her job back and drag my former company into court after the way I was treated by them before I got the hint that I was no longer welcome in the company after working there for almost 8 years.
Everyone has been encouraging me to sue my former employers for not holding my job position while I was out on Worker's Compensation and then trying to relocate me to another location of their centers that is at least a 45 minute to an hour drive away from where I live (when the location I was working at was walking distance from me) once I was discharged from PT and sent back to work.
I also think that they were "looking for a reason" to give me the ax because I refused to work off the clock for them while I was still on Worker's Comp, but that's an entirely different story/situation.
Basically, what I'm trying to say is that most of my friends and family are frustrated with me for not dragging their rear ends into court over how I was treated. I honestly think that the only reason that I haven't at this point is that I was taking it as a sign to leave the field altogether, since it was a very emotionally stressful occupation, and I was constantly taking work home with me for next to nothing as far as my salary went.
Not that I regret one day that I spent working with children, those memories are ones that I will cherish until the day I die, but between the administration, the owners of the company and the way that the state of education in this country is headed in general, I just thought that it was time for me to move on and try something else.
But your friend does deserve to fight for her rights, and even though it's exhausting to try to talk someone into doing something that they might be reluctant to do, perhaps putting up a fight for her job is what she might need to do in order to make peace with her depression over losing her mother. I never want to know what it is like to go through losing my mother, and she has my deepest sympathies for what she is going through.
The fact that she sought MH treatment for her depression for it is something to be applauded for, not punished, and it seems very cold and rotten of your company to kick someone when they're down. I know that fighting for her rights isn't going to bring her mother back, and I'm also sure that she's aware of it, but maybe if you used the approach "Do you think this is what your mom would want you do?" as far as taking things lying down is concerned, that might just motivate her enough to take some action. Maybe if she uses the approach that she's doing it in her mother's honor and memory, it might just work.
Just a suggestion, and by the way, you are an amazing friend to this woman for going to bat for her!! There might be a lot of heartless people out there in the world, but you're not one of them, because you obviously care enough about her to try to get her to stand up for herself.
Take care & Good luck!!
Eeyore
--------------------
"How does it feel to be locked inside another dream that never had a chance of being realized?" ~ Slipknot
|
patient2all
Enthusiast
Reged: 05/16/02
Posts: 291
Loc: usa
|
|
Unf-#@$!# believable! So many of us in roughly the same boat. You CANNOT COUNT ON BIG BUSINESS TO WATCH OUT FOR YOU!
OpieYates has the right idea, work toward building yourself an independent lifestyle even if it hurts at first.
I saw elements of myself in each post:
I'll keep it short
30 years working hard up to the top of a field, computer programming/near guru. Middle aged depression about a bunch of things, 9/11 started my pain worse I swear. This entire hemisphere is a target just waiting to be blasted.
Doc says Lexapro is the answer. 2 months on that, HR calls me in and says "You are unproductive and walk too slow". I quit Lexapro on the spot, go half nutty. Docs want to put me in psych center. Bosses say days are numbered. No compassion. The whole place knows my entire saga. I mean, I was out 4 days sick from quitting Lexapro abruptly
Get stopped in the halls, "Are you still taking them?", "How many have you had today?, "Did you just take something?", "You don't need drugs, you've just got to change your thinking...." ad nauseum.
HR says to me "Everyone can tell there is something wrong with you just by looking at you". Especially cruel phrase, my mother used to say that and similar tauntingly to me all the time when I was a misfit child in a miserable upbrining. My sister says life was a cross between The days of Wine and Roses and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (those were the better days).
Hard enough to hold onto to the job when everyone looks to you to do something nutty. So what's the choice, go into the mental hospital? Doc says, "It's not like One flew over the cukoo's nest , it's all Nabisco executives there". Nabisco must be a hell of a place to work!
---------------------------
Folks in despair about jobs, finances. You can try to improve the situation, it's your ONLY choice. New jobs, few as they are, won't help. You're just tossed on the bottom and will be victimized in another year or so, chances are.
--------------------
Where possible, radically change the environment. Like I said to the docs who told me since Lexapro didn't work, they now had two SSRI's in mind, one brand new! Discussion ended acrimoniously with no Rx's.
I just realized, I'm not crazy, the rest of the bored clowns in cubicle hell are. They just want to see some excitement. Seeing patient2all go off is far more exciting than an order shipped to the wrong plant.
------------
Like I told the docs, if I live in a town in Afghanistan and am getting shot at constantly, I'm going to quit buying more armor and fortification. I'm going to move from Afghanistan.
Jobless? I pulled this old gem from the VIP Board, may help some.
Thank Lady B:
Quote:
I'm an independent contractor, working from home. The following are legitimate work at home opportunities. They are NOT traditional employers. You would have to set up your own business and contract with them to work. You would be responsible for paying your own taxes, record keeping and upkeep/maintenance/upgrade of your own computer equipment:
http://www.liveops.com/ (will be hiring new contractors prior to the holiday season): online order taker
http://www.workathomeagent.com/ (continuously hiring) online order taker/customer service
http://www.onss.com/ (don't know status of hiring for this one) coding work
http://www.sterlingtesting.com/ (currently hiring) employment verifications
That's all I can think of off the top of my head. I'm disabled by fibromyalgia...when I was in danger of losing my job and opted to leave before being fired for absenteeism due to illness...a very kind stranger passed these on to me. I pass them on in the hope that I can repay the kindness of that stranger.
I suggest also visiting: www.workplacelikehome.com/board and http://www.wahm.com/ which are both excellent resources (free)for at home agents.
You should NOT pay to work for a company. Nor should you pay for any "needed" equipment for said work unless the equipment (telephones, computer, etc) are yours to keep. Finally, beWARE! There are many scammers and "fake" sources out there. If it sounds too good to be true, trust me...it IS! On the other hand, there ARE genuine companies hiring at-home workers. It's the wave of the future!
It may help a lot of us, if the workplace drives you to drink, try working at home, naked for that matter! It's a real field. Forget the matchbook ads that said you could make $10,0000 a month stuffing envelopes. The 'net has made true telecommuting possible for a myriad of positions. Just leave one open for me and my wife!
Like OpieYates, I'm pushing my on-line businesses with unparelled zeal and have a time frame for parole from the National Prison Company. You can't even count on a pension from employers. Put your money in a 401k and see how the market goes. We might as well buy lottery tickets.
I asked the benefits co-ordinator what happened to pension plans, he said it's too expensive for companies. Haven't you noticed the shabby suits the CEO's have been wearing lately?
No one in corporate America or the government gives a Best if kept off the board about you. You need your own plan to create an environment where you won't be so depressed. Granted, we can't help grief over family death and illnesses, but some things we can control.
--------------------
patient2all
It's a sad world, getting sadder by the day....
|
kimbell1
Enthusiast
Reged: 08/20/03
Posts: 274
Loc: Route 666, Painville, Texas 6...
|
|
I did call two attonies offices in the Dallas area that specialize in labor problems that you wife was kind enough to e mail me (Tell I said thanks).
My friend has spent yesterday and today in a class on how to find a job. She siad only 4 people were in it. I don't know if they are from her company or not. But i think my friend is strating to realize the mess she is in.
I will give her the evaluation questions that the two attonies sent when I see her tonight and hopefully one will take her case. I don't know if it would have to be on a contingent basis or not since we don't get into money.
Personally, I think that a letter from one of these attornies to her company and a letter from her doctor treating her for depression should be enough for everyone to start talking.
My friend does not want to mess with going to court since that takes years. I don't think she wants her old job back but the company is large enough that she could go to another area in another building. They also have a plant in Great Britian. Maybe I could go to if she could talk her way into going there. LOL
If I have not already said it, Thanks everyone for all the kind words/ She is also considering a small business too.
I will do what I can not to let her fall into sitting in front of the TV during the day.
|
Eeyore27
Board Addict
Reged: 07/05/04
Posts: 374
Loc: Where Misery loves Company U...
|
|
Quote:
Hard enough to hold onto to the job when everyone looks to you to do something nutty. So what's the choice, go into the mental hospital? Doc says, "It's not like One flew over the cukoo's nest , it's all Nabisco executives there". Nabisco must be a hell of a place to work!
Both my mother and stepfather worked at Nabisco...(formerly known as RJ Reynolds [yeah, the same company that makes cigarettes were making your Oreos] Nabisco, now better known as Kraft Foods Nabisco), and I'll put it to you this way, they are an evil, evil company to work for. Stepdad was injured on the job and is still in litigation with them over a settlement, and my mom nearly suffered a nervous breakdown after the way they started to treat her after my stepdad was injured. She hasn't been the same since. So yes, Nabisco is one hell of a place to work, or more like hell, itself.
Sorry for going off topic like that, Kimbell, just needed to vent about my distaste for that particular company...
Eeyore
--------------------
"How does it feel to be locked inside another dream that never had a chance of being realized?" ~ Slipknot
|
kimbell1
Enthusiast
Reged: 08/20/03
Posts: 274
Loc: Route 666, Painville, Texas 6...
|
|
I THINK MOST large companies are probably bad unless you are one of the top dogs unless it is foreign owned by a socialist ountry like Ericckson is owned by Sweden. they are supposed to be GREAT to work for if you can get on.
Even the Tech companies like Apple are no fun from what I read.
--------------------
Paranoia is just hightened awareness.
|
patient2all
Enthusiast
Reged: 05/16/02
Posts: 291
Loc: usa
|
|
In this case, the Dr. just mentioned Nabisco because they have a large installation in a nearby town. I believe she felt having a professional clientele would alleve some of my fears of being institutionalized. Like I had this thought in the back of my head that I'd be having a roommate who kept saying things like, "They put me here because I killed my grandma --- then I ate her. Ever have grandma soup before? he,he,he,he!"
Don't doubt anyone you said about them however.
All these major companies are greedy and evil, it's just a matter of to what degree.
--------------------
patient2all
It's a sad world, getting sadder by the day....
|
kimbell1
Enthusiast
Reged: 08/20/03
Posts: 274
Loc: Route 666, Painville, Texas 6...
|
|
Hi,
We already have two Warren Zevon fans on this board. Were you ever a fan of his. He was more famous as a song writer and did write a song with a similar them called 'Excitable Boy' with Linda Ronstadt (she recorded a lot of his songs like poor pitiful me, amount others).
Just joking with you.
--------------------
Paranoia is just hightened awareness.
|
kimbell1
Enthusiast
Reged: 08/20/03
Posts: 274
Loc: Route 666, Painville, Texas 6...
|
|
I saw her tonight and for a while, she seemed to have trouble completing some sentences to the point that I had to say the words that she is searching for. This has been going on for some time.
She admitted after months of seeing a shrink that the shrink told her that taking Welbutrin may have 'messed' up her memory. Her gynecologist started prescribing this antidepressant! The shrink just continued prescribing it without really evaluating the type of depression she has.
I know that diagnosing depression is extremely tricky. But this shrink is supposedly an expert on depression and medication.
I also thought to ask did she ever get a written warning about her performance or behavior. She said just a verbal one.
I worked for the state all my adult life and things may be different in the private sector, but a state employee was required to have at least one written warning .
My friend does not even seem to really be aware of the mess she is in since she bought a house last year and is a lot of debt (which is a sign of depression).
I am urging her to contact a labor attorney. It also looks like she might have grounds for mal-practice against the shrink if he knowingly kept giving her medication that screwed her up.
I know that she was a very different person before she went to the shrink and I have begged her to get off the anti depressants or at least go to another doctor because her current one isn't worth _______________.
This is starting to sound like one of these 'I got busted' stories-to unbelievable. Even I am having trouble believing what has happened.
The only relative that lives near and might care is a half-sister about 2 hours away who does not have a clue what is going on. I keep asking if she has called her sister and she keeps putting it off. I tried to call the sister but my friend gave me the wrong number. This was about 2 months ago when all this trouble began.
I used to have to locate people as part of my former job and guess I will have to find her sister on my on.
This post has turned out longer and stranger than I ever expected and each day is beginning to feel like an episode of the Twilight Zone with the Keystone Kops thrown in.
At this point, other than trying to get a lawyer so she might get a job in the company at her old pay grade, trying to help her get out of this mental fog , and getting hold of her sister, I am out of ideas.
Any new ones are appreciated unless there is nothing else that I haven't thought of.
|
Therion
Member
Reged: 06/14/04
Posts: 130
|
|
I don't know about where you live, but in my city there is one career field that is booming. It's a self-owned business and is extremely cheap to get set up in. Indeed, all one needs is a magic marker and a piece of cardboard. Take the magic marker and scrawl on the cardboard, "Will work for food." Then simply stand on a corner all day. You get to meet tons of interesting people, get lots of fresh air and sunshine, and you can move to a different corner when your surroundings get boring. Plus there seems to be absolutely no shortage in openings for this job.
Who says there's an unemployment problem in the good ol' USA?
|
swtangel
Member
Reged: 07/09/04
Posts: 133
Loc: Delaware
|
|
Quote:
I am urging her to contact a labor attorney. It also looks like she might have grounds for mal-practice against the shrink if he knowingly kept giving her medication that screwed her up.
Any new ones are appreciated unless there is nothing else that I haven't thought of.
Hey Kimbell1 you can PM me if you would rather keep this off the boards, but I had a similar situation with a shrink and I would like to discuss it with you if you want to. It sounds to me like she is going through some of the things that I went through. I hope things work out.
|
Eeyore27
Board Addict
Reged: 07/05/04
Posts: 374
Loc: Where Misery loves Company U...
|
|
Kimbell,
I can speak from the point of view that when my MD prescribed me Wellbutrin (yes, that's right, MD, not a psych doc, and my jaw dropped when I read what you said about her GYNOCOLOGIST being the one prescribing her those meds) that I also had a major problem with finishing sentences, saying things in the opposite order and such, and to this day (it's been over 2 years since I've taken it), feel like that particular medication screwed me up for life. At the time, I figured that it would be a good idea for me to try that med, since I'm a smoker, and it's been widely prescribed to people who are trying to quit with a supposed high success rate, but looking back on it, I regret ever taking it.
As for your friend, do you have her sister's number, or a way of finding it out? She might be listed in the local directory assistance where she lives. I would (at the risk of ticking your friend off) definitely give her a call, writer her a letter, or do something to let her know that she's getting worse. She might get mad at you at first, but eventually will probably come around and realize that you did it for her benefit, not to "gang up" on her, so to speak. There might not be anything that her sister can do, as she lives 2 hours away, but just a long distance chat might do her some good. And since your friend isn't working at the moment, maybe a trip to go see her sister and being with family might do her some good, you never know.
Once again, I have to say that you are an amazing friend to her, I really and truly hope that she appreciates how much you care about her. Good luck!
Eeyore
--------------------
"How does it feel to be locked inside another dream that never had a chance of being realized?" ~ Slipknot
|
Opie_Yates
Old Hand
Reged: 08/11/03
Posts: 455
|
|
Quote:
I don't know about where you live, but in my city there is one career field that is booming. It's a self-owned business and is extremely cheap to get set up in. Indeed, all one needs is a magic marker and a piece of cardboard. Take the magic marker and scrawl on the cardboard, "Will work for food." Then simply stand on a corner all day. You get to meet tons of interesting people, get lots of fresh air and sunshine, and you can move to a different corner when your surroundings get boring. Plus there seems to be absolutely no shortage in openings for this job.
Who says there's an unemployment problem in the good ol' USA?
--------------------
Better living through the pharmaceutical sciences.
|
kimbell1
Enthusiast
Reged: 08/20/03
Posts: 274
Loc: Route 666, Painville, Texas 6...
|
|
I think they and many others are giving me encouragement not to give up on her. I spoke to her last night and still has not filled out the intake info for the two attorneys another poster pm me.
I am going to call her sister after this post. I did find where she works last night.
I can see my friend at the take out window of a fast food joint living in a ghetto if she doesn't WAKE UP and realize that she is not on a long vacation.
They out to outlaw or heavily regulate two things.
Credit 9espeically cards) and anti depressants.
As for the welbutrin coming from the gynocologist, I read that vets were prescribing prosac for people when they brough their animals in.
ONLY a real shrink should be able to prescribe these things but something a nurse once told me about shrinks.
They are usually the WORST of the medical students. This shocked me but after thinking about it over the years and seeing them professioanlly and in one care socially (he did not rmember me as a former patient and I did not remeind him) I would agree with the nurse.
The physic care is barely above Frued's days. I am surprised that electro shock and labotomies are not still widely used.
--------------------
Paranoia is just hightened awareness.
|
toe
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 10/09/02
Posts: 1419
Loc: MidWest USA
|
|
Quote:
The physic care is barely above Frued's days. I am surprised that electro shock and labotomies are not still widely used.
ECT is not uncommon. I have been resisting it for a couple of years now.
Here's another website Iwas told to check out when I was trying to build my malpractice case: Free Legal Advice & Referrals
--------------------
"It's the end of the World as We Know it. . ."
-REM "and I'm seeking asylum in Canada"-toe
|
patient2all
Enthusiast
Reged: 05/16/02
Posts: 291
Loc: usa
|
|
Quote:
We already have two Warren Zevon fans on this board. Were you ever a fan of his.
Only vaguely. I don't follow music much. I did like that song "Money, guns and ..." (can't remember the last part). That was a long time ago.
I was very saddened by his untimely demise, but most impressed with his bravery in the face of death. As a smoker not too far from Warren in age, his death certainly struck a chord with me.
patient2all
Footnote: If anyone followed, job gone, working hard on own business. Forutnately, money is not a major concern for me. My daddy started the Bank of America and I benefit from a huge trust fund set up for me. No, only kidding (or hallucinating!). Actually my beautiful wife has been a tremendous saver during our 24 years of marriage so far!
Think I'll be starting to feel better soon. We should keep this thread "sticky" in order to follow up on the progress of those who contributed.
|
bucket
Journeyman
Reged: 04/03/04
Posts: 55
Loc: wisconsin
|
|
reading through this thread i was only looking for one thing and don't seem to see it. I thought i'd read that your friend was in the company's employee asst. program am i correct in that? If so, right there is a huge reason she should and will most assuradly collect umemployment. Not to say that it will even come close to her wage before. But, at least its something for now. I also think that unemployment might help her out with her company knowing they did wrong to fire her when she was, "seeking help for her problem". Make sure when she speaks to an attorney that she mentions the fact that she was in the program it could change things.
hope that helps some
bucket
|
Previous
Index
Next
Threaded
Edit 
Reply 
Quote 
