I need to make a clean break. I'm ruining my health for this job I hate.

Do the bare minimum and start working regular 40 hour weeks. Take your lunch. Leave the building, even if all you're doing is sitting in your car playing Ruzzle on your phone. There is NOTHING that can't wait until tomorrow. Nothing. So don't feel like you have to clear the decks every day. Fuck that noise. I'm a lynchpin in my organization too, but oh well, it will struggle on without me if need be, I leave at 5 every day and it's fine. Get out of your head. This is a job. This is not your life, or your personality or anything other than a place to exchange hours for dollars. This doesn't define you. So stop letting it do that. Start a targeted search for a new job now. Spend a couple of hours in the evening applying for positions via LinkedIn, actual websites etc. Nothing is hopeless, and if push comes to shove, you can quit and move back with your folks to regroup. Don't let pride kill you. I suspect though, that if you scale back your hours and your emotional investment in the job, that it will be WAY more manageable and much less stressful. Hang in there!

Wait, you work a mission-critical position and they can't easily replace you? It sounds like you have some leverage here. Can you just start phoning it in while you update your resume and look for work? As long as you remain professional the worst that can happen is that you get fired. Which is what you already kind of wanted. (Ironically, your bosses may start to treat you better if they sense you might not be quite so desperate for this particular job anymore.)

There seem to be several questions here, so please forgive me if I go five direction in trying to answer this. The first thing is anecdotal experience, but I've walked away from jobs a few times with nothing else lined up (not many, but a few).I did it when I thought that it was unbearable and at a cost to my health. However, there was also a phenomenal stressor to quickly find a job, but I always managed to do so. If your parents are making an offer and if your mental health professional thinks that walking out of the job is the best course of action, do consider that. To be honest, if I were in your shoes, I would ask your mental health professional to have a lot of input in the decision, because we don't know how bad it is for you and your mental health status, etc. That aside, there are ways to quickly find a job in your field. I'm saying this as a person who did quickly get into a lab (after I also walked out of a job, heh) many yrs ago,and also as a person who worked in a lab as a grad student, and later hired students to help me in the sciences at a university. So one thing that you could do if you decide to go this route is 1) look up universities, hospitals, and fill out their HR/employee sheet - the good thing about this is that often, it sets you up for many,many labs and positions (vs a company with 2 or 3 jobs you qualify for); 2) talk to any friends you have right now that may be in a lab and are leaving/or if they know of a lab, etc.(you can gt in this way); 3) go to a nearby university, etc. Find the department office(biochem) and ask the people in the office if anyone is hiring and also go to a couple faculty member doors and knock, ask briefly, and go onwards; 4) you can also go to the "about me" page for each faculty member,look if their research is interesting,and if so, email. Many of these things can work- I actually did get into a lab by following step 1 and 2 many years ago.I also hired people who did number 3 because I was too busy and eager, interested people appeared at my office door at the start of the semester. There are good things about doing this, which is 1) it would be in your field, 2) it should be less stressful than what you do now (far less stressful), 3) you can attend lectures, often get credit to have a free class or two 4) provides health care, which you do need right now. The low point is that these jobs do not pay as much as others. However, if you are working a ridiculous number of hours and it is at cost to your health, that may not be worth it, either. Also, it is NOT likely that they will recruit something from far away to do these jobs, so apply locally (or apply in an area that you have friends/family and can physically get to an interview). It is not that specialized of a skill set- but it is a start (just saying this for realistic expectations). There are also jobs that you can quickly find if you need it and take until you find a better job (lets call these throw away jobs). I'm not sure if you want to go this direction and we should throw suggestions out, but walk into stores, give a resume, walk out ...and many people have done this before/I would imagine that you would find something, although your location will influence how fast/slow this goes. But if you do this, it will take the pressure off quickly needing a job, and it will probably be far less stressful than what you are doing now. IF you decide to try to quickly get into a lab or get a throwaway job, you could start looking during lunch (don't use their resources). You could take a sick/"mental health day" and hit the pavement looking for a temporary job or a job that fits your background. But taking action may help you right now. Also, I would not recommend the Peace Corps for you right now. It sounds like you are in survival mode and just want to get out.Peace Corps usually lasts 2+ years and can be very stressful and isolating (I would recommend it if you said your dream was to travel and things were going well, etc.),but I don't think that it matches your health at the moment.They also do have more stringent health requirements (especially if you end up in a village without a doctor and a day or two away from health care), so it doesn't seem like a best step for now. Good luck. OP, if you would like to bounce more ideas off someone, or if you need more suggestions about getting into a lab, finding throwaway jobs, or even the Peace Corps, do feel free to memail me. As I said, I have also walked away from jobs, and do feel that people should consider this as an option, too, so I do understand that part of the formula.

I want to quit now. I don't think I can last till the end of the year but if so that's just about all I'll be able to muster. And though I'll try, the odds of finding a position that pays a living wage is slim. The only time I really have to job hunt is the weekend. Is taking a week of vacation or a sick week a viable option? You're going to feel better if you have at least made some job applications.

This is a bad time to look for science jobs (short term) because of the government shutdown, and it may get worse. Are you on a salary or hourly? How about you draw a line at 50 hours a week (or what ever makes you comfortable), and let them fire you if they dare. Hopefully this will make it better for you till you at least won't owe them moving costs (1 year?).

It usually takes a while to fire someone, even when they suck. I think you should phone it in for two months more and then see where you are mentally. Maybe you'll want a FMLA break once you qualify for one; and if nothing else, there should be a lot more jobs available for you to switch to, because many orgs front-load their hiring at the start of the year.

Unfortunately it's a bad time to be looking for bio jobs in general, not just do to the shutdown. Increased automation has eliminated a lot of RA jobs, and a PhD is becoming more of a requirement even for basic lab work. It's really hard to find investors to fund pharma in this unstable economy, so smaller companies that depend on venture capital are suffering as well. I work with biotech/pharma companies throughout the country as a Field Applications Scientist and I'm seeing a lot of layoffs and few open positions. Have you thought about going to grad school? Biospace.com is a decent site for job listings in our field, by the way. Joining groups on LinkedIn that are relevant to your research interests and making good quality posts can be a good way to expand your network. Also, make sure it's very clear in your cover letters that you're willing to self relocate.

Yo, just FYI, I think you're catastrophizing a bit about grad school applications. I had zero pubs from undergrad and my coursework was all over the map (plus I had a 3.0, not exactly world class), but I still got into a top 10 program for my Ph.D. Also if you're not getting responses offering to tech for people, your resume and cover letter may need some work shopping. MeMail me if you want someone to take an unbiased look.

That really, really sucks and I'm sorry you're going through it. First, take any vacation time you're able to take, as fast as you're able to take it. Even one day away may give you some temporary breathing room. Take sick time, if you have it. You've earned it. Second, try to get away during the day if at all possible. If you bring your lunch, stop. You forgot it. You have to run out to grab something. Or take a short walk, outside, in the sunshine, even if it's just around the parking lot. Third, if you've been there a year and you're in the US, you may be covered under the http://www.dol.gov/compliance/guide/fmla.htm (or might be soon if you're coming up on a year). It sounds like your psychiatrist would sign off on it, and I don't believe your company needs the reasons, just the fact that you are not able to work a full schedule. It sounds like you don't have savings to float yourself indefinitely, but I believe FMLA can be taken non-sequentially -- even stepping back your schedule might give you the breathing room to step up your search for something better. Realistically, FMLA leave does carry the risk that they will lay you off for "unrelated reasons" once you're back full-time. (Not supposed to, but in a company like yours it can still happen.) But it's still probably better than quitting without another job lined up. (In fact, depending on the type of layoff, you might be eligible for unemployment.)