I had to disclose at work thanks to a manic episode last summer, and things were never quite the same after that. In fact, I was fired earlier this month because of severe anxiety and mania that forced me to take medical leave, and when I returned I made it through the first six hours and promptly fell apart again. Three days later I was informed that my services were no longer required.

The worst part of it was being told I was "unstable and unpredictable". The stress of that job is a big reason why I got that way, and that statement was a sucker punch. And that is why I will never, EVER disclose my illness to another employer unless I have a major mood episode, and even then I'll figure out some other way to explain it. It's sad that in this supposedly enlightened age, we have to deny something that is part of ourselves in order to stay employed and relevant, but it is what it is, and if I ever get the opportunity to work again, I'll do everything in my power to avoid being vulnerable to this sort of treatment.