Fair Warning: This response is a pretty long, and I feel a bit off topic at times, but for some reason I just felt I should put it out there given we're on the subject of "high functioning."

I see being "high functioning" as a good thing, but not in any sort of derogatory way. Not in any sort of "We're better than you" way, but ... well, let me explain:

Yes. It is quite common for normies to not understand the disorder and since they cannot, at the moment, see it, they just assume it isn't there. (Oddly enough, many of these people pray to deities for our -- and their -- protection based on faith. Faith: Deeply held beliefs with no supporting evidence that no amount of evidence to the contrary is likely to change. Basically, a man-made delusion.)

Normies see a high functioning individual and assume everything is alright.
What things might they not see?
What will they likely never see (if they don't stick around in our lives for very long)?

They might not see us taking our meds.
They might not see the internal struggles (unless they quickly become externalized).
They may or may not see the sudden onset of symptoms returning to life after possible years of dormancy. And they may or may not be able to deal with such a situation.

It's not really their fault that they don't understand. However, their downfall is the fact that many actively choose not to educate themselves about the disease and the issues that come along with it, outside of what they see on TV and in movies.

Which is where our "high functioning" might be able to help in some circustances. We present such a "normal" appearance and attitude to the normies that, if anybody can effectively deliver the needed information about the disease to them, it is us... now if only they'd listen...

In a way, we possess "the best of both worlds," if you will. Almost like "daywalkers" -- you know, the vampires (or Gingers) -- who appear to be regular people, but still possess the disorder - it's just not as obvious.

We appear normal on the outside and to the outside world. We aren't always cycling. But behind the scenes, we live with everything that --- god, I'm not even sure what wording to use... "not high functioning" and "low functioning" seem so insulting. --- you know, we experience many, if not most of the same things all manic depressives do: angry mania, happy mania, angry hypomania, happy hypomania, "happy" (or as happy as is possible) mixed states, angry mixed states, lethargic depressions, agitated depressions... mixed happy-angry mania, mixed lethargic-agitated depression, etc. Many of us experience psychosis as a result of mania; many experience psychosis as a result of depression or mixed states.

Now, don't ask me how, because I just don't know -- maybe it is body language or facial features or behavior -- but somehow, mentally ill people of all kinds just seem drawn to each other.

On more than one occasion I have been walking down the street or going into a store, you know, minding my own business, when I was approached by individuals with obvious mental health challenges. In situations like this, despite the social anxiety that wells up whenever I am approached by a stranger who is expecting to engage in conversation, I am fully capable of holding at least half of a conversation with these people -- our people -- and truthfully (at least in my experience) that's all they want sometimes. They just want somebody to listen who has somewhat of an understanding... or not. Thing is, lots of people just need to talk; they need compassion and companionship, but cannot afford a pdoc or T. So many people just nudge these people away out of fear or misunderstanding of their intentions. It's really sad.

Being "high functioning" truly gives us a unique stance in the realm of mental health. We may not be doctors, but we know things doctors don't because we live them.

We all know that there are times where all we really need to do is talk and have somebody listen with sympathetic ears. Alas, for people with mental health issues, that often requires health insurance and/or a butt-load of money just for a quick check-in* because the people in our lives might not want to hear about it
(*This is one reason I'm still not fully convinced that psychiatry isn't a scam. I understand medical doctors having to pay for equipment, but that kind of money just to talk... and then have to pay the leftovers that the insurance won't pay for meds that are borderline illegally overpriced as it is...)

But I digress.

Those of us who are "high functioning" possess such a wonderful gift: empathy. So what if we aren't rapid cycling or cycling much at all at any given moment in time? It's still there, and it's not going away. Just as a dormant volcano will one day roar back to life, so too will our disorder rear its ugly head once again.

Until then, however, we "high functioning" individuals should see it as our duty to act as a "middle wo/man." We aren't doctors, but we are peers; we are peers who have at least some idea of what other mentally ill people are experiencing. We might not be schizophrenic, but many of us do experience psychosis; yeah, we don't have MDD, but we do known major depression just a well; anxiety - or even anxiety-induced psychosis (paranoia); derealization, depersonalization and dissociation? Sure! Its not exactly a secret that mental illness is often comorbid with other disorders, issues, illnesses or whatever.

We "high functioning" individuals walk the fine line between "crazy" and "sane" armed with sympathy, at the very least, and a lot of the time, empathy. We might not be able to put ourselves into every mentally ill person's shoes and see life the way they do, but we can attempt to understand, because even if we have never experienced something exactly the way another person does, chances are we have experienced something similar. As previously stated, many people just want to talk, but nobody gives them the time of day.

Ultimately, as written in rwwff's post, it really is nobody's business whether you're sick or not, or whether they "see it" or not. I mean, I'm not saying to kick them out of your life or anything. I'm saying let them think what they want to think. If they bring up the subject and, in the course of the conversation, still want to deny that you are ill -- just let them and end the conversation. There's no point in continuing if this person is so insistent that they are right and you are wrong.

Hence my lengthy upper post about the pros of being "high functioning." Many normies won't get it... hell, many of our own likely feel the same way as the normies: if you aren't constantly symptomatic, you aren't sick; if you aren't on disability, you aren't sick.

Mental illness is NOT a competition! Pdocs don't go around handing out trophies to the sickest patients. If somebody doesn't get it or straight up refuses to understand, then do your best to change the subject.

Focus instead on being one of those "middle wo/men" I spoke of before. For every person (be they a normie or one of us) who doesn't or refuses to understand, there are many more people (some friends, family, people like us -- regardless of their disease(s)) who will gladly accept the opportunity to have a conversation with somebody who can either relate to what they are going through (if even only to a small extent) or bring a clear head to what's going on, or explain to them in a clear, non-manic, non-psychotic fashion what it is like to live with this disease -- "high functioning" or not.

In conclusion: tons of people will just ignore the topic or fiercely insist that the disease is not real because we don't look/act crazy or crazy enough, but there are also tons of people who will not only accept our "high functioning" "abilities(?)," but actively seek out as much knowledge on the subject as possible and try and learn how it relates to our own personal experience. As well there are people like us who will appreciate having a peer who can hang and talk and relate while at the same time maintaining a clear-ish head and keep a careful, watchful eye.

At the end of the day it is your life; your disease. Not theirs (whoever "they" may be) and not mine. To tell them or not, to have that or any conversation about the illness or not, is up to you, and nobody else.

Um... Please tell me at least some of that made at least a little bit of sense...