Although I had already been diagnosed Bipolar, when the company I was working for started outsourcing a boat-load of the jobs and I saw all my friends being laid off while my workload increased with every layoff and I was feeling extreme guilt for NOT getting laid off....that's when I had my meltdown that spiraled into short term disability then long term disability then ECT then SSDI.

So I guess my opinion would be that, ya, there's a connection.

yes. OK, that's not a helpful comment in itself. But I think it's certainly recognised in the field that I work in (social work) that professionals absolutely need to look after themselves. I have seen more than a handful of colleagues over the years succumb to long term depression and 'breakdowns' which can be mostly attributable to experiences at work.
Interesting that it is also a predominantly female profession..

This is absolutely true for me. I worked for over eight years in publishing, ending up as a VP. The environment was poorly managed, long hours, unreasonable expectations, gender discrimination, and no control over even minor tasks. I had 3 nervous breakdowns in 2 years. My supervisor repeatedly called me "unstable" and "unfit to manage" even though my performance was excellent. I was miserable and on antidepressants, anti-anxiety medication, therapy, everything. Every therapist and doctor I saw told me that I had to quit my job in order to address the depression. Thankfully, my health insurance paid for some of the treatment. I quit 3 months ago and still have not stabilized or even considered going back to work.

My job-related stress starting a new job last year, where my new boss wasn't exactly welcoming or helpful, was the direct cause of me seeking out psychotherapy and getting on Effexor. I'm still on the medication but have stopped the therapy (after things improved), but the cost was obviously into the hundreds of dollars, even just for that few-month span.

For the financial aspects alone, I would clearly love to have been able to hold my employer accountable for some of it, but mental-health-related workers' comp opens up an interesting, if troubling, can of worms: Is it my employer's fault that I have an innate disposition toward anxiety/depression? Or should they shoulder the blame for allowing a work atmosphere that encouraged my tendencies to fester and become unmanageable? It's a matter of divvying up responsibility, and because of the stigma of personal weakness/responsibility that still plagues mental illness, I imagine it would be difficult to prove that an employer should be financially responsible for an employee's mental health troubles.

Even though, in my case, I obviously think they should have been -- at least to some extent.

I had a very stressful job in my early 20s, and it didn't trigger immediate depression in me - it triggered mania followed by a massive depressive crash. Same thing happened my last two years of high school and first year of college, and much later, during my brief marriage. If I have stress-induced mania, it's much more likely to become psychotic and dysphoric.

The depression that comes with the humiliating aftermath is typically melancholic and can last for years.

(Do I sound like a psychiatrist writing a technical analysis of myself?)

All stress is a factor, period. It has been well established that many types of mental illness are increasingly common, and it's not just that doctors are better at detection these days. Life is more complicated these days, with more sources of possible stress.

When Edison introduced light bulbs, critics argued that humans needed the period of enforced relaxation that comes with darkness. I'm not planning to give up electricity, but it's interesting that Amish kids with bipolar disorder have much less severe symptoms than kids who live with electric lamps, video games, and the stress of public school.

'high demands and low control in a job'
That would be true for me--I am a nurse, and there is a lot of responsibility with little control and a tendency to get blamed on both ends for things that go wrong (by the Dr and the patient)...not good for a person who is prone to depression and self-doubt (me)

I can relate to Danny as I have only had one full blown mania, lasting a week, followed by the crash Danny describes (I was so bad during that crash I could not concentrate enough to drive myself to the psychiatrist, my wife had to drive me.) The "breakdown" did follow a lot of stress. Some of it induced by good changes in my life (getting married for one,) but most of the stress from my self employment. I had control since I was the only employee, but I did not manage my stress and fooled myself about how much sleep I needed and about caffeine being innocuous.

Now, since genes are involved, this means we are predispositioned to succumb to stress. My stress was nothing compared to say a war veteran, I don't know how those folks handle it.

Getting laid off 5 times in 5 years right after college certainly didn't help.

The work has to suit a person's strengths as well. "Square peg in a round hole." If you are equally left and right brained like me, it's hard to pin point your strengths and perhaps you are more of a jack of all trades, master of none. Which can be stressful when you have a job that expects you to be a master at one thing.

Hans Selye (sp?) wrote that the opposite of stress is death. So there is a healthy balance.

Your employers should allow you all to set your own goals. That would take care of the problem in a jiffy. Your own goals = control.

But I'll never be hired to be a manager since my resume is so snafu'd. I hope to be successful in my self employment one day so that I can treat my own employees as human beings though.

Yesterday's drug-induced-forgetfulness moment was when I ran into an old co-worker at a local store. I greeted him warmly, asked how he was doing, where he was teaching, etc., etc., and then I turned to his GF.

"(GF)", I said. "How are you? Where are you now?"

(GF) responded in a puzzled tone, "I work with you."

My buddy was waiting outside. I retold the story and my mortification. When we got to the restaurant, I said, "You know, there's a bright side to this. This is going to be all over the office on Monday. And if I have to go out on leave or do SSDI, this is only going to support my case."

Our boss (female) comes from a different culture where the socio-economic differences are pronounced. She is from the upper echelons and was apparently doted upon as a child. Hence management style as described in Liz's original post - high expectations and minimal autonomy to accomplish tasks.

Sad but true; mine is another anecdotal report.