I'm over-analyzing this but I need to: I'm not coming from the average person point-of-view. I don't want to offend the other person, my mood swings trigger much too easily, etc. I need to be careful and I feel like this situation is trapping me. Difficulty socializing is compounded by my mood disorder. I can't get too close to anyone because I'm not stabilized and not 100% grounded. My mood and energy fluctuates rapidly and med side effects can add to the problem at times. I even have difficulty conversing with my parents, brothers who are saints. So when it comes to a landlord or a stranger who really sets my irritability off (which I regret) I try to get out as soon as I can - my mind can scatter quickly, I lose my focus, lose my train of thought, I go into rumination and all that stuff. But my landlord is someone who deserves respect because he gives it to me. I try to say Hi and acknowledge him and move on but that's not enough for him - he feels slighted and that makes me feel torn. The same thing happens with my parents who are easier to be around. The mood disorder just magnifies socializing difficulties by 10,000%.

You may then say "Get some help". I've been trying to get relief the past 28 yrs with little success, multiple hospitalizations, tons of meds, ECT and all that stuff and I've become less and less functional which is why I've been on SSDI the last 10 years. I've just turned into psychobabble - it's a puzzle that can't be solved right now.

I wasn't asking anyone to solve my problem. I just wanted to know how obligated do you really have to be when someone shows you respect. And if you have problems is it possible to get out of that obligation without seeming disrespectful.

My landlord is pretty much the opposite. He will stick around and I don't want to seem odd in front of him so I make conversation as short as possible. He revealed the bad side of himself to me last week and I sort of feel like it could be partially my fault because I'm too short, I seem selfish to him, whatever. I've tried to reveal to him that I need my space, I told him I'm on disability - he won't go away. I hope you see where I'm coming from.