Does the contractor lifestyle cause depression/psychotic episodes?

[DaveB]

Nothing to do with work, permie or contract, for me. A bad relationship was the root cause in my case.

[Menelaus]

The root cause of mine was trying too hard to please people and then losing sight of myself.

[Mich the Tester]

No. Being a permie causes depression/psychotic episodes. The contracting lifestyle frees the mind from all that tulip.

That's my experience too.

[The Lone Gunman]

I think working away can lead to problems.
You can end up doing long days then staring at 4 walls at night. If you are not carful I expect this can lead to depression and more.
Some contractors over compensate and go from work to the bar to avoid the 4 walls syndrome.
It is a fine line we walk.

[Rookie]

I think working away can lead to problems.
You can end up doing long days then staring at 4 walls at night. If you are not carful I expect this can lead to depression and more.
Some contractors over compensate and go from work to the bar to avoid the 4 walls syndrome.
It is a fine line we walk.

I find that joing a local gym helps when working away. It's a healthy disctraction from the pub.

Even having a game of 5 aside football and a few beers after breaks up the week.

[Mich the Tester]

I find that joing a local gym helps when working away. It's a healthy disctraction from the pub.

Even having a game of 5 aside football and a few beers after breaks up the week.

Yep, plus finding a couple of decent friendly restaurants close to your accomodation. A good tough session in the gym and then a solid meal and one or two (but no more) glasses of wine or beer does wonders for one´s mood.

[Cheshire Cat]

Nope. Diagnosed long before I started working for a living.
I doubt it makes any difference in my case, but if anything, feeling more in control of my income is probably good for me, regardless of the realities.

[TykeMerc]

I think working away can lead to problems.
You can end up doing long days then staring at 4 walls at night. If you are not carful I expect this can lead to depression and more.
Some contractors over compensate and go from work to the bar to avoid the 4 walls syndrome.
It is a fine line we walk.

Very true, it can be the same for permies too that follow a similar lifestyle. IBM used to stand for "I've got a Broken Marriage" and "I'm Being Mended" with their staff as many got moved round a lot.

The contracting lifestyle has lots of stressful situations to deal with that many partners simply can't take which compounds the issues:-

• Unreliable income
• Huge peaks and troughs in work
• Permies that envy, distrust or despise contractors as a whole
• Parasitical agents
• Hostile tax regimes
• Uncertainty over contract duration
• Pressure from self and client to take no time off
• Delivery pressure
• Working away from home
• Business admin and responsibility
• The sheer lack of stability

To some of us these factors are easy to cope with or positives, but if added up or a partner who doesn't really understand the lifestyle is involved the stresses can break things in a metal fatigue manner.

[milanbenes]

jeeez

this place is beginning to look like a self help center rather than a contractor's website

pecker up lads

come on

Milan.

[sasguru]

jeeez

this place is beginning to look like a self help center rather than a contractor's website

pecker up lads

come on

Milan.

FFS I agree with Milan.
Bloody fruits and nuts.