This is what I think about this topic:

People think we're using our emotions as an excuse to get out of working. It's that simple.

"I'm depressed and can't get out of bed" to them sounds like "I'm too lazy to get out of bed."

"I am crashing after mania and giving up on my 10,000 projects" sounds like "I'm unreliable and break my word."

They simply believe we are quitters, whinners, and manipulators. They believe that, just like them, we have full control over what's happening in our heads. They think they we are doing it on purpose and taking advantage of them. They think we're weak because we just refuse to do what everyone else is doing and deal with it like everyone else.

This is stigma in it's purest form.

I firmly believe that people who feel this way, if suddenly struck by mental illness, would be the ones who lay down on the floor and not get up. Because they have no idea the sheer force and power of what we struggle with everyday.

Also, there are a lot of people who think that asking for help is a sign of weakness.

Just ignore these people. They are not worth your energy.