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I've had some amount of not-so-great behavior in my past. Some of it consisted of getting jobs that were over my head and then quitting when I was unable to fulfill the expectations of the job. This was a very unprofessional behavior and I regret it. Yet, in employment scenarios, it is hard for a medicated, mentally ill person to keep up with demands of most jobs. Additionally, it is difficult for us to relate on a personal level to coworkers and supervisors, since we may not have enough in common, and we may not know enough about how social interactions are done. Both of those factors are significant barriers to employment.

In 1989, I landed a job at Sears Service Center, Concord location, as a television repair technician. (The salary and benefits of the job were great.) Yet, I was really struggling with the job demands and with a coworker was critical and harsh toward me. Some of the other coworkers also weren't that nice. After work, when I'd been there for two or three weeks, the Loma Prieta Earthquake struck. The following day, there was no reprieve from the expectation to show up and do work; it was business as usual. The earthquake was the final bit of dust on the camel's back. 

This was a bad pattern for me when I tried to hold jobs in my twenties. It resulted in the resolve of not taking jobs as readily, including when offered them, when I got older. I decided that I would assess whether I could handle what was expected at some stage prior to accepting the job. This led to me not accepting very many jobs. 

Electronic repair was a particularly good skill, and I was talented at it. However, nearly all of these jobs were full time and expected far more performance than I could produce. Additionally, it was hard to talk to coworkers, because the background of being a mentally ill man is totally different than that of being a mainstream person. 

When I didn't keep jobs, I was heavily criticized for it. Parents would be critical, and my counselor at Department of Vocational Rehabilitation ended up being critical and judgmental. This was the beginning of the end of working with Department of Rehabilitation. The criticism came at times when I was already down on myself. 

On the other hand, if you attempt to stay with a job in which the work is over your head, most employers will not hesitate to get rid of you. How is being abruptly fired more honorable for you than abruptly leaving? I've been fired from my share of jobs. Many times, the psych medication interfered with the work to the extent that I couldn't do the job. Psych medication impairs brain function. Long term psych meds cause the brain to age faster and can cause the patient to have severe limitations. I've had to accept these awful facts because I've had no choice. It was either take medication and have a semblance of normal, or don't take it and become dangerous, dead, or at least, defunct. 

If your brain function is suppressed as a gross way through medication to treat psychosis, one of the side effects is that you can't handle very much. An examining psychiatrist when I applied for Social Security said to me "If you're on medication, you're disabled." 

Writing manuscripts doesn't involve multitasking, it doesn't involve any immediate pressure, it doesn't involve socializing, and it doesn't involve dealing with a complex environment. It is real work, but it is very specialized, very straightforward, and involves working the brain in a way that is compatible with medication. This is true for me at least. 

While I hardly make anything in terms of money at writing, it keeps me out of trouble, and it is a lasting accomplishment. 

Medication to treat psychosis can interfere with reading and writing. However, there are ways of getting around this. However, if you do not have a strong history of reading and writing from before your onset of psychotic illness, you will not have a chance of building these skills after being medicated. As a teen I was highly into reading and did some amount of writing. This develops certain areas of the brain that are needed if you have writing aspirations. Almost anyone who wants to become a writer must have a history of a lot of reading. If you are dealing with a psychotic condition, you should look to skills that you had before the condition came about for you. If you did in arts and crafts as a hobby, that might be your area of possible expertise. If you fixed things, that might be your area. 

Skills can be developed if you are mentally ill, but a skill that you do not have a precedent for is not something you can produce out of thin air, realistically speaking. 

When jobs do not work out, it is not good form to blame a mentally ill person for not having enough stick-to-it-iveness. Instead, look at all of the factors. Mentally ill people often have less adaptability than others. 

When you blame a mentally ill person for a failed work attempt, you should realize it is counterproductive for her or his future success. Punitiveness doesn't work for very many things. And it stands in the way of creating a successful life.