What to do if you can't work?

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I wish I could say I was overexagerating out of self pity, but that's not it...I feel like I will suffer a complete mental break down if I attempt to hold another job any time soon. Every single time things I am not aware of are going on and it gets pinned on me without my knowledge, and then I am the last to find out. Last job was not totally professionally organized a family member hooked me up with it, but still I went to the job, did the work and was evidently not satisfying the expectations. Of course no one told me this they just let me go, which did not bother me because it was a temorary job anyways.......then I had to find out from my family that they fired me because I was not living up to their expectations and was acting 'weird'. I can't stand feeling like the joke everyone is laughing at in the back room while I am sitting alone during the break. Maybe I can hold a job some day but I can't take it right now, so does anyone know what sort of assistance one can get for aspergers, I really need some form of income or at least some assistance getting out of my moms house where I have no personal space. I am enrolled in college so there will be a bit left over from the grants and loans once the tuition is paid but I don't know if it will be enough to live on.

I got a federal employee disability retirement, plus SSDI, but that was after having been a federal employee for 20 years.

Find a sympathetic psychologist who is willing to do some testing and write a report, and apply for SSI.

Work for yourself. Find a way to leverage your talents for compensation. Write a book.

Yeah I wish but hardly know where I would even start.....I mean I am staying at my moms house on the couch, no personal space whatsoever unless I am hanging out at my friends house. I am starting college this month, trying it agian because I dropped out before. But yeah I feel like even my three college classes will cause me too much stress. I have PTSD because a girl at my highschool got shot, and sitting in a classroom for too long sets it off so I am worried about that. I think my best option is to try and apply for the SSI or whatever, though I don't even know if I can afford to get an official aspergers or PTSD diagnoses.

[quote="Sweetleaf" I have PTSD because a girl at my highschool got shot [/quote]

Were you present?

Were you present?[/quote]
I was not in the room when it happuened, so yeah I tried to deny that it effected me for quite a while because I was embarrased that I was so effected when I did not even see the girl get shot. But basically I was in my math class and the school was put on lock down.....during this one of my classmates said she was suprised I wasn't the psycho with the gun. and after that a cop with a gun escorted us out of the room and there where swat team people in the hall ways with guns and well eventually we where evacuated from the building and escorted to another one......the highschool consisted of a new building and an older building so we where moved to the older building across the parking lot. I felt nothing during all of this main thing that happened afterwards is I could not finish a book, which was pretty noticable because I read a lot before that. Then during my second year of college I started getting really bad panic attacks in class so I quit going because i could not handle it. But I am attempting agian hoping I will be able to get past the panic attacks, only way to find out is to go to class and see what happens.

Sounds like a genuine anxiety disorder rather than PTSD

Maybe, but the feeling is so close to what I felt under that layer of numbness that day and it feels more like a flashback......like its that day again except I don't have that numbness covering up anything. And another minor thing whenever there is a sudden loud noise I freak out and it takes me sometimes up to 20 mintutes to regain my calm. From what I know that is a pretty common symtom of PTSD. I even might hear a song or be somewhere and can't quit visualising the face of the girl who was shot, people bring up her name or the event itself when Im not prepared and I start geting anxious.......but I can't be 100% sure I suppose.

Well plus I already have anxiety, and it does not feel quite like that.....with the anxiety its just a feeling, not usually a feeling with a bunch of memories or visulizations attatched.

Maybe applying for a job with low social interaction and low sensory stimulation; like a data entry job or maybe an office work study job at your college. I know at most college the jobs are not demanding and at mine most of the time I see students listening to the IPODS lol while they "work" lol. I am sure you could look up online jobs that work well for introverts. Also because if your disorder be it an anxiety disorder, PTSD, Aspgergs you are federally protected by the American with Disability Act. Also you -do-not have to disclose your disability before or immediately after the job offer; you can choose to disclose at any time. Also once you disclose your disability -most, not all- employers completely change in their attitude as they're afraid of being sued and wouldn't any allow of the crap you've had to deal with in the past. Once you do disclose your employer is legally obliged to accommodate your disability related problems and cannot terminate you because of them.

Yeah I may try that, once college starts......though don't you have to have an official diagnosis in order for the employer to be legally obligated to accomidate? Also I have the concern that even a low stress job would be too much on top of my college courses. I mean I hardly have the energy to do anything let alone a job and college at the same time. I mean I don't want to force an employer to keep me employed if I wont be much use at the job.

You'll also receive protection and accommodations at your university! As ADA also covers colleges; for example I am have poor hand-writing and I am very easily distracted so for my classes the notes for my classes are provided by the office and I get to take tests in a quiet, noise-free environment.

Well ajob and college is stressful for anyone; I guess your best bet could be also to start applying for scholarships. There are literally tens of thousands and for most the money that isn't spent on college you get to keep for other expenses, like living, transportation, et cetra.

*Many psychologists offer a sliding scale; if you live in or near a city you can probably find a non-profit center that offers free or reduced mental health services as well and depending on the college you go to they may offer free pysch or the disability center will sometimes offer testing as well.

Yeah well I have an appointment to see whats available at the college, so hopefully that will go well. But yeah I feel like before I even think of trying to get a job I should try and figure out a living situation and see if there is any way to afford it just with extra loan and grant money from college. That is part of the trouble not having a job makes it harder to find a living situation, but at the same time I live to far from the college to find a job in the area and insure I can get to and from the job as well as college.