Yes, I understand what everybody is saying. For me, he is ok. I do tell some men about my mental illness, but some tried to take advantage of me after telling them. I think to have someone accept you as a person with mental illness, you have to get to know them well enough to determine if they would be receptive or not. I think he will accept me after he gets to know me well enough. Right now, we barely know each other. I don't know if we will be able to see each other that often with his work schedule and mine. I work daily and have strange hours. I am not too absorbed or obsessed about him. I just want to go places with him and have some fun. And, if we turn out to really like each other and become friends, this would be nice too. I like him because we are both American and have similar values. He said he does not want drama with the person who he knew had mental illness. She was an odd duck. She asked for sex the first time they met, then demanded he take her back home the next morning to take her antidepressants. I am not like this. But, some people are. I think as someone with mental illness, I am very aware of how people perceive others with mental illness. I don't need to disclose my illness unless it is absolutely necessary. I don't with so- called casual friends and don't at work. I used to want to be accepted for my mental illness first. However, my mental illness is not the total me. I am a person with a mental illness, not a mental illness in itself. I have come a long way to realize that the best policy is to have people know you for your character and behavior. If I feel comfortable talking with them and they know me well, then may be I will disclose my illness. But, at this point, what for? It is unnecessary and not in my best interest.


He and I may not go too far, may be. But, he is still messaging me after he wakes up and tells me how is day is going. I think he likes me. I like him, I admit. But, in the long run, we may just move apart because of our schedules or due to my lack of interest. I have other men on Bumble whom I have not talked with. I am concentrating on this man. I really don't think I'm going to disclose my illness initially to anyone. I know some people who I have never disclosed it and we get along just fine. Of course, we never talk about mental illness so it never comes up as a discussion point. We are just casual friends, I don't mind.

It seems the people who are writing on this thread are saying that it won't work with him and me if I don't disclose my illness. May I ask you individuals about why I need to disclose my illness to him? What is the point? I am not lying about anything. I just am not going to say anything about it. I hardly see what is the advantage of disclosing one's illness initially to someone who you don't know well. All it will lead to is your vulnerability and shows rather poor judgment. Poor judgment because to say that your mental illness is who you are is not going to buy you any brownie points. I am not a mental illness as I said. I am a person first and foremost. For me, I want people to know me as a person, not for my mental illness. To accomplish this, you must act like yourself and not as if you are mentally ill. I am thinking that I am high-functioning now and don't see myself as an illness.


So, this man is not perfect and probably likes me for me as a person and probably for my looks. I want to have fun with him and that is it. He probably feels the same way about me. He and I are not going to get married. We are going to live for the moment and relish each other's company for now. We may become good friends too, who knows, without him knowing about my illness. As I said, my illness does not define me.