I used to be high-functioning. I worked long hours at very stressful jobs, raised four kids, paid bills, went to church, went grocery shopping and all that "normal" stuff that people do. I did it for years. Then I just kept getting worse, and worse, and I began to lose jobs to this stupid illness. I wound up losing everything---my home, my upper-middle-class lifestyle, and a good portion of my dignity.
Now I'm on disability, so I don't suppose you could say I'm high-functioning. But within my sphere of influence, I do quite well---I manage my finances, can deal with the phone, come and go as I please. It's because I lead a relatively low-stress life. Yet I know I would decompensate quickly if I tried to work, or if I had to deal with constant drama. I'm fine as long as I can maintain the status quo.
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DX: Bipolar 1
Anxiety
Tardive dyskinesia
Mild cognitive impairment
RX: Celexa 20 mg
Gabapentin 1200 mg
Geodon 40 mg AM, 60 mg PM
Klonopin 0.5 mg PRN
Lamictal 500 mg
Levothyroxine 125 mcg (rx'd for depression)
Trazodone 150 mg
Zyprexa 7.5 mg
Please come visit me @ http://bpnurse.com