quote:

Originally posted by sigmonkey:
I read your post.

The question I ask is personal and I will fully understand if you do not answer.
If you wish, you can email, or choose not to do so.

Do you currently have good a good mental health counselor?

(and my opinion)

If not, please find one. You may need to "shop" hard and be very particular that the person you speak to and you "connect".

A lot of people in the mental health profession are there trying to unscramble their eggs, and using those who seek them as a sort of proxies of themselves.

Most people who have made it through their twenties with life long depression, typically are more adept at understanding what makes them tick, but need some guidance at understanding and recognizing what they know and how to put it to good use day in and day out.

Proper nutrition, good sleep, exercise and a proper structure in life are key to managing depression.

And yes, you can be happy and content while still having the "darkness" around you.

You simply have to learn how to have a grip on your reality, and control it like a pitbull.


I will also keep you in prayer.

What Sigmonkey said. Every bit of it.

Silent

I read your post and you are exactly correct it is not what I want to read nor should be reading it with the outcome you were given.

Unbelievable the way that your department treated you. Without a doubt seek representation. Were you an FOP member at the time of all this?

I honestly did not want to get to the end of your post. It felt as if the bad just kept coming and that you were posting your final goodbye.
I was so relieved to reach the end and that was not the case. You have been through some dark hours and will always carry demons with you but as you have shown you are stronger than them.
Stay strong keep pushing forward as you have been and please seek legal representation. I read nothing but a disability retirement in what you posted but I don't work in your state so I am not sure how different employment laws may be.

Brother, you are in my prayers. If there is anything I can do to help please feel free to reach out and I will do what I can.

Chad: As Hemingway once said, Hard writing, easy reading. As heart wrenching as your story was, it was easy to read the whole thing.

I would advise you to consult an attorney who is familiar with the Americans with Disabilities Act. I do not know the employment laws in Texas, but have dealt with similar situations. Your situation should be covered.

Best wishes.

I hope things work out with getting disability. I assume you’re still in the Houston area, if you need to move into another field let me know and I’ll see if I can help. There are some great opportunities in the refineries and chemical plants.

I read your entire post and first of all you are very strong for doing the right thing which is taking care of YOU over anything.

You may not feel it now, but everything works out for a reason. I have not felt that myself until I have experienced it twice now. I have gone through two very difficult job events which left me without a job and each time the next job was better, but the last job was still bad. I was let go for no reason as I was in an at-will position despite all the great reviews and work I did. It was a very political and hostile environment. I was so mad and depressed after this as this was a job I loved. Two months later I landed my current job which pays about 1/3 less but I am happy.

Keep your head up. Keep trying, and all will work out. Everything happens for a reason. You may not think that now, but later on you will. I wish you the best.

quote:

Originally posted by megabyte:
Chad: As Hemingway once said, Hard writing, easy reading. As heart wrenching as your story was, it was easy to read the whole thing.

I would advise you to consult an attorney who is familiar with the Americans with Disabilities Act. I do not know the employment laws in Texas, but have dealt with similar situations. Your situation should be covered.

Best wishes.

I’m still out near Austin. My house in the Houston area is actually in Friendswood.

I read all of it as well. Good on you for taking action. Many folks are unable to muster such fortitude. Hoping the best for you...you seem to be headed in the right direction.

First, fuck those guys. You were hurting and you got hosed. Chummy as we might get with supervisors, if they get orders from on high, they have to follow orders. And for some reason, so many police departments are autocratic when it comes to the rights on their employees. Ironic, huh?

Second, if you don't have a union, like Chongo wrote, consult an employment attorney. You can get the legal lay of the land and decide what the next step is. Decide what you want to do. If you want to see it thru and perhaps get vindicated, then understand that day may never come.

Most importantly, though, concentrate on spending time with your good friends and family, do things you enjoy, get back to that lady friend of yours.

With stressful work, and you need the family, friends and support around you to maintain your resilience and health, something to recharge your mental batteries. Since you identify as having depression, this goes double. If you don't have a psychiatrist, get one. If your shrink does therapy, do it, otherwise find a therapist.

Take care of yourself first, worry about the career later, and just take it day by day.

I read your entire post and you did the right thing. I've dealt with depression and working in a chickenshit job that was not going to get better. Sometimes leaving is the best thing that can ever happen to you. Keep your head up. Things will get better.

Read your post, some tough shit man. Hope your feeling better and thinking clearer. Things will get better!

Shawn

I read it. Very sorry to hear it. As others have mentioned, I hope you meet with a good counselor, and I'm glad you sought help. This story could have ended with you losing more than your job. I'm glad it didn't.

“One must never forget when misfortunes come that it is quite possible they are saving one from something much worse; or that when you make some great mistake, it may very easily serve you better than the best-advised decision. Life is a whole, and luck is a whole, and no part of them can be separated from the rest.”
― Winston S. Churchill

There was a time in my life that I thought the sun would not come up and shine the next day, and I even hoped it wouldn't...
But it did, and now I am blessed in too many ways to count.

You are in my prayers and may you be blessed with the strength to deal with and recover from your situation.

I read your post. Every single word. I too fought depression for years, and thank God I managed to get out of it. I still have my days but I look forward to the start of each day now. It wasn't that way for a long time.
God bless you Chad. Hang in there. It'll get better.

quote:

After this long it is nice to be able to say it all in one big piece as I move forward.

Moving forward is all we can expect from ourselves. You didn't destroy yourself and sound like you understand the situation and all that comes with it. Keep doing that.

Prayers brother.

You are not alone, brother.

You have to take care of yourself...no one will do it for you.

Chad, you did the hard but right thing, and I'm very happy that you caught yourself before something far, far worse happened.
I've retired from another high-stress job (cardiology), and looking back wonder how I did it for all those years. Of course in my job it was someone else's life on the line, not mine. There are many on this forum who must feel the same about their past or present jobs.
You've received some very good advice here and I hope you give heed to it.

Very best wishes.

Yes, I read it, twice for that matter.First thing you made a positive step in getting help, your well being trumps all.

Second, supervisors anymore and not just in LEO work in most cases really don't give a damn about anything but their own asses. Subordinates are a dime a dozen in their eyes.

I burned myself thirty years ago with an employer the last time I was in management. I stood up against the owner for the company to do the right thing for one of my subordinates. I won the battle but lost the war but you know what, I could sleep at night knowing that I did the right thing. He got even, it took a year for him to accomplish it albeit financially.

I know it sounds trite, but as one door closes, another opens. As others have suggested, pursue disability. You have worked for it, no shame in taking it. If you have to litigate, also pursue retraining as part of the settlement.

You have value to others, and to yourself. Never sell yourself short. Good luck.

quote:

Originally posted by MikeinNC:
Dude....

you also need to talk to someone at your retirement benefits as you may have grounds for a medical retirement....

and I wish you luck with your issues.

You've received and will receive a lot of good advice. Please take heed of them especially MikeinNC. 17 years has got to be good for something like retirement or disability. You've put in a lot of good work and time.

Other than that, I'm sorry for your troubles but, on the other hand, you're on the right step. Trust your gut about how you got where you are now in the first place. Walking away from a situation that will get kill you or keep you depressed is a winner move.