Video #37-Good Career Matches for People with Mood Disorders |

In this video, I emphasize the importance of making good career choices if you happen to have a mood disorder (or know someone who has one). I make four suggestions to guide your thinking as to job possibilities:

jobs that involve helping others manage their emotions (counselor, therapist etc.) since you’ve likely had lots of experience managing your own emotions and that usually gives you a sense of empathy
exploring careers in the expressive arts since research suggests people with bipolar disorder and other mood disorders may have heightened levels of creativity
considering contemplative careers like a philosophy professor or a minister, priest, rabbi or imam, since people with mood disorders often tend to be quite contemplative, and
thinking about working for yourself since that tends to lessen the amount of stress (high stress is one of the factors likely to precipitate a breakdown). In the same vein, I also suggest steering away from high stress jobs like air traffic controller, day trader, emergency medical technician or corporation manager. There are other important criteria that go into choosing a good career (salary, working, conditions, your own interests and aspirations), but for people with mood disorders who are thus vulnerable to stress, it makes sense to consider these options as well. See also my blog post ”Using Multiple Intelligences to Find Your Dream Job.”