When Abuse Leads To Overwhelming Stress At Work

Garrett is a 38-year old computer programmer who works in the IT department of a nationwide mortgage company. After ten years in the same department, the stress of the job seems to just pile upon itself. The short length of time allotted for projects to be completed, the abrasive attitudes of co-workers who are all under terrible pressure, the long hours into the night when something breaks down, the strain on everyone when a key member of the team leaves for a new job… Garrett is worn out and work down by the ongoing pressure and stress of his job…and doesn’t know how much longer he can endure. The stressful conditions of the job itself are abusive. And abuse leads to overwhelming stress.

Why Can’t People Just Be Kind?

By far, however, the worst stressor in his life ...is his boss. Daily chiding, screaming profanity, and humiliating Garett and his coworkers has destroyed the morale of the team. Garrett’s early annoyance with his boss’s bad attitude has evolved into a white hot fury he keeps under a lid. He does what he’s told but he feels himself losing his tolerance.

Day after day after week after month, the toxic atmosphere is so distracting and keeps Garrett on edge. He feels his creativity wane, his outlook darken. Until his mind has grown dull, and his bitterness toward his abusive boss grows hotter.

Finally, the last straw. It’s on a Monday morning. His boss gives a young, newer employee a promotion and a raise, and places him in a supervisory role over Garrett. He demotes Garrett to a position with less authority than he currently has. And he announces it to everyone. He makes Garrett an example of failure before his entire team.

Garrett is devastated. His boss is such a jerk.

From where Garrett’s sitting, his boss seems to derive actual pleasure from humiliating Garrett. The hurt and frustration fills him. Humiliation crushes him. From this point, he avoids making eye contact with his co-workers. He feels frozen, hopeless, and unable to do his job acceptably.

Weeks go by as he struggles to muscle through his job responsibilities. It’s just so hard to think. Before his boss took his position in Garrett’s department, Garrett had been a bright, promising employee, full of good ideas and creative solutions. Now he can’t seem to produce anything worthwhile. It’s like the lights have been turned out.

Weekend Getaway To Explore Options

Finally, Garrett and his wife take a weekend trip and talk. Garrett pours out to her his frustration, wounded pride, feelings of betrayal by his boss, and disillusionment. She says he needs to get out of that job, but he says he’s lost his edge and wouldn’t be able to find further employment. The strain of abuse leads to overwhelming stress.

So they talked about why he’s having so much difficulty on the job. Is the boss’s cruel treatment traumatizing him? Is he getting depressed from all the stress? All he knows is that he used to be exceptional and now he feels dull and stunted.

Lucy, his wife, had been reading some books lately. One of them, Ketamine for Depression by Stephen J Hyde, had been remarkably enlightening. She wondered if this treatment that had helped so many, would help Garrett. She described some of the personal stories in the book and Garrett was intrigued.

It sounded like this treatment could help trauma, depression, cognition, and social anxiety. It seemed possible it might help him.

A Special Treatment Restores Resilience

He googled “IV ketamine treatment” in his area and found a psychiatry practice that offered it. What a relief that he could go in after work. Finally, someone was getting it—that when you’re already under fire, you can’t afford to call out or take PTO. He scheduled a consult and was excited he could schedule infusions on Tuesdays and Fridays after work. That meant no one needed to know.

Whew.

Garrett didn’t feel any change after the first 3 infusions…. his wife encouraged him, pushed him to continue, read that this was not unusual. Then felt some lightening in his outlook after the fourth. He felt less depressed and took some initiative after the fifth. Then felt somewhat better again after the sixth. The seventh opened a door that brought in light…and hope. He found in the following weeks he had a spring in his step, and energy for people’s idiosyncrasies.

Within two weeks of his 7th infusion, he was becoming more and more creative, and his work became easier and easier for him. He felt like he was getting better and better now.

And he was resilient, so the boss’s comments just rolled off him. Garrett was so thankful, and relieved. He could live his life again. He and his wife could have dinner with friends. So much opened up.

He was ready to keep it going.

As we often say, ketamine treatment isn’t for everyone. And we continue to study it to learn why.

But for most people it’s transformative.

Here at Innovative Psychiatry, we’re focused on bringing this extraordinary treatment to you. We do all we can to help you get the most benefit from your ketamine treatment. That why, first and foremost, we offer IV ketamine infusions.

It’s what works. It’s where the most data is. And it’s the safest and fastest route out of misery.

Do you live or work in a situation where abuse leads to overwhelming stress? Is that stress leaving you worn down and worn out? If you experience the symptoms of depression like

Garrett did and nothing has helped, call us.

We want to help you feel great again, back to your best self, and able to enjoy the rewards your life can bring.

With Thanksgiving upon us, we wish you and your loved ones a wonderful holiday, and that you have the resilience to enjoy this season and make memories you’ll treasure.

To the restoration of your best self,

Lori Calabrese, MD