Life is defined by the people you connect with. But when you have a mental illness, there are almost no real connections. Most disappear or don’t know how to stay. You end up isolated, surviving through three or four ties that barely keep anything meaningful in place. Sometimes it’s your psychologist, your doctor, maybe a coworker.

That’s why having a job isn’t just about income. It’s structure, it’s a reason to exist, a way to stay in contact with the world. Losing it isn’t just losing money. It’s vanishing.