Since I'm on SSDI, I hate it when people ask me where I'm working. I'm only 52 & not close to retirement age, but my bipolar disorder -- especially the lingering depression -- prevents me from maintaining employment. I was able to compensate at one time, working in the same field for 20 years, but my occasional manic flip-outs & the debilitating depressed periods eventually caught up with me.

Anyways, when folks ask me where I'm working, I lie to them; I tell them I'm just doing consulting work now. Lies tend to be infinite, though...Eventually tripping us up at some point or another. In short, I'm embarrassed about being on SSDI.

There are sometimes long, stable periods when I feel capable of working, but I'm always afraid of what lies behind that inevitable corner. I fear that folks will think the bipolar is all in my head (which is fact I guess ) & that I'm just milking the system. Most of the time, bipolar disorder is an invisible affliction that many don't understand -- at least that's my fear. If you're on SSDI, how do you deal with this dilemma?