I've been doing quite well for a few years now, but am 99% sure that if I went off my medications (even slowly being weaned off) that I would enter an episode (likely manic) very quickly during the weaning off process.

If I managed not to become manic or depressed right away, despite a weaning off of medications, then I would be expected to very soon after go back to working. Though I do hope to be able to work again someday, it's highly likely that when I do I will become stressed. Stressed almost always equals episodes. If I were to get an episode while not on medications, it would be a major undertaking to get back on them and arrest the episode. In the meantime, I probably would have lost the job or not been able to work, thus impoverishing my husband and myself. If I then wanted to get back on disability again, it would be very very difficult. Also, I likely would have had to have quit a psychiatrist, because NO psychiatrist would allow me to come if I was no longer on meds, especially given my history with bipolar illness. So I would be scrambling to find a doctor again. Or, more likely I would not be thinking clearly because of psychosis, so would have to be in a psychiatric hospital. Luckily, however, the cost of psychiatric hospitalizations is much lower in Czech Republic than in the US. In the US, the copays and deductibles are HORRIBLE! And, they always expected me to then enter an IOP/PHP afterwards, costing even more copays. Some hospitalizations/IOPs combined cost thousands in copays. All for what? Going off of medications? No, I'll stay on them.

Really, I think it depends on the severity of a person's illness. My bipolar disorder became so horrendously horrible that I am not a candidate to ever go off of medications. That is, unless they find a cure for bipolar disorder. If they ever do, I'll be first in line for it.