I have functioned highly enough to earn two degrees, parts of two others and be relatively 'successful' in professional services/corporate environments for 10 years. My disorder(s) were unexamined/undiagnosed until earlier this year. I have had anxiety, depressive episodes and what I now recognize as hypo/mania without psychosis at various times for the duration of my adult life (I'm 41).

I never recognized the extremes of my mood/emotion and masked it very well in retrospect. In fact I have been quite unaware/unwilling to acknowledge the extremities until recently. But the trail of destructive behaviors in my life includes persistent dishonesty to cover mistakes/avoid accountability, consistent delusional overconfidence in my abilities and intelligence, and interpersonal/situational avoidance. Consequences of this behavior include financial ruin/peril, marital discord/loss of marital trust, damage in familial relationships, substance abuse, and frequent changes in education/career pursuits.

I am grateful to finally know that I have a medical explanation for my skewed adaptations to life. That awareness doesn't help me to relieve the level of responsibility I possess as the sole full-time worker with a wife and two sons. I have avoided my own self care for years because my wife has long-diagnosed and treated mental illness of her own and has looked to me as her 'rock' for much of our relationship. I have painted myself/our family into an ever-tightening corner. I have observed some decline in practical working skills, attention and intensification of mood symptoms over the past three years or so which concerns me greatly for both the present and future.

TL;DR I think I WAS high functioning but that is not so much the case anymore.