Greetings - may I throw my two cents in please?

I was in graduate school at the University of Colorado doing frontier research in organometallic compound synthesis - when a super bad depression hit me. I tried to hide my illness (BP 1), but I was absent for nearly two whole months within giving my research team a word. I was paralyzed with overwhelming fear and hopelessness. When I was partially well enough to return to school for a mandatory meeting with my graduate advisor, I felt that I didn't have any choice but disclose the truth.

The meeting started our poorly, he was yelling at me for disappearing and stopping my research without permission. He was threatening termination from the program if I didn't "clean up (my) act immediately!" I let him vent all his frustration and anger until he was through, and then I replied "Dr. *****, I'm very sorry about all this, but I have bipolar disorder, and . . . "

He interjected with "Oh My God, I wish you'd told me this before, because I have a niece with that and it's very tragic."

Anyway - I completed my graduate studies with flying colors, and since that experience, I let everyone who might be affected by my illness that I'm bipolar and proud to be a survivor.

Also - the 1992 ADA federal law protects us from employment discrimination.

Incidentally, I totally agree with everything vjdragonfly says.