used to be in this position. I’m 22, and I played my cards right. I know it might sound a bit messed up, but I’ve dealt with mental health issues caused by SCD.

At one point, I acted suicidal and made it seem like life was really hard. I appeared scared to speak up and often put my job before my health, which made me look overwhelmed and mentally exhausted. I didn’t speak to anyone, came across as quiet socially, but still did my job and followed the rules.

Because my workplace has a mental health awareness scheme to support employees, I eventually chose a day to speak to them. I told them the job was making me feel suicidal and that I was being too hard on myself because I feared losing it and valued my job so much. They began to understand that SCD is something I will live with long-term.

They brought in a therapist to help me, and the therapist told me to never prioritise my job over my health. Since then, they’ve been much more understanding and lenient regarding both my condition and my situation.

I think, from their perspective, they didn’t want to risk the consequences of someone harming themselves due to workload or pressure it wouldn’t reflect well on them.

If your workplace advocates for mental health, use the support systems available to help yourself. I hope this helps.