Manic depression and bipolar are difficult to live with. If you were not trying to tackle the 'down' at work, just going and locking yourself in a bathroom stall to hide from it ... that would be something that you need to think about your behavior.

I was on a tear last night when I got an email forwarded from my daughter that her college is not going to let her register for classes because her medical record is missing something - they don't say what.

So if someone has mental health issues, they could react differently than my profanity-laden rant (not the correct way to respond either - I am not angry at my daughter though). Someone who receives this email could ignore it, but remain aware of it (procrastination is different). They can worry and agonize over it. Perhaps become paralyzed that there's no piece of paper that'll make this school happy, and they won't be able to register for classes. That leads to thinking that this semester was wasted ... and they might not try anymore and not attend class. On top of that, stop bathing/showering and wear the same clothes for days. That's the difference between a mental health concern and being frustrated that daily life rains on your parade.

I find it helps to have some difficulties, preferably small ones, so when something bad/annoying does happen, you have a skill set to identify the problem, possible solutions, and what steps are necessary to resolve it. That might not fix it, but when it works, it can sometimes be a euphoric moment, or with me, some more profanity to celebrate.

Sharon from New Jersey