I say there's three aspects of me, the depressed side, the manic/hypomanic side, and the normal but eccentric side. That whenever I'm in one aspect, I genuinely cannot remember how the other two aspects feel like.

I say that the depression is pretty classic depression, that I've even been suicidal. I say the manic/hypomanic tends to express itself as endless rage. That the "normal" still has quirks because symptoms can never be completely suppressed. That on top of all that my emotional reaction to external stimuli is far too strong, far too exaggerated for the situation at hand, and that I have paranoid delusions.

And then I compare it to a physical illness. Diabetes is a favorite, because people can understand the parallel with low blood sugar/normal blood sugar/high blood sugar. Another one is thyroid disorders, as everyone knows someone with hypothyroidism and that can also affect the mind yet is clearly a physical, chemical problem. I also say that just exerting willpower to control my symptoms is just like asking a person in a wheelchair to just will himself to walk. It just can't be done.