Living With Bipolar Disorder and OCD: A Life Story
Author: Sharon M. Berninger
Published: 9 Sep 2026
Publication Type: Submitted Article
Table of Contents:
Synopsis - Definition - Overview - FAQs - Insights, Updates - Related Content
Synopsis
This blog post is a firsthand personal account of one woman's decades-long experience living with obsessive compulsive disorder and bipolar disorder, much of it before she had any diagnosis to explain her symptoms. Written by the person who lived it, the piece carries the authority of lived experience, tracing her path from a bright but frequently absent student, through repeated job losses tied to concentration difficulties and disabling migraines, to a postpartum breakdown, hospitalization, and finally a formal diagnosis from a therapist and psychiatrist. It matters because it shows how mental illness can go unrecognized for years and how workplace disclosure, disability approval, and even adoption can be complicated by the stigma still attached to psychiatric conditions. The account is useful to others living with mental health disabilities, to their families, and to seniors or disabled readers seeking real perspective, because it speaks plainly about seeking help, obtaining SSI disability with legal support, raising children while managing illness, and educating loved ones so they understand how a condition affects everyone around it.*
At a Glance
- 1 - She was hospitalized in a mental ward after her first child's birth in 1996.
- 2 - Listing mental illness on job applications repeatedly cost her interest from hiring parties.
- 3 - She began receiving SSI disability around 2007 only after working with a disability lawyer and providing proof.
- 4 - She and her husband later adopted daughters despite agencies questioning her history, backed by her doctors, therapists, and grown sons.
Topic Definition
- Living With Mental Illness
Living with mental illness refers to the ongoing, everyday experience of managing a psychiatric condition such as bipolar disorder or obsessive compulsive disorder while carrying on with work, family, and relationships. It involves recognizing symptoms that can include difficulty concentrating, mood swings, compulsive behaviors, and periods of depression, and then adapting daily life around them, often with the help of therapists, psychiatrists, medication, and supportive family members. For many people it also means navigating practical realities like employment gaps, applying for disability benefits, and confronting the social stigma that can lead others to misjudge their abilities. At its core, living with mental illness is the reality that a person remains fully capable and worthwhile while managing a health condition that happens to affect the mind rather than the body.
Overview
The Constant Fight...
I never knew what my problem was, as a kid in school, I did well, yet I was barely ever there. I'd get scared, because although I knew I was smart, my brain would somehow make it very hard for me to keep my concentration, which lead to panic, nervousness and a gut feeling something was seriously wrong with me. Not to mention I constantly had migraines (we didnt know what that was back then) but they left me pretty much paralyzed unable to do anything but lay down until it decided to subside! My parents didn't know what to do with me, all of my teachers said I was at the top of my class, if only I would be there.
Later on I got a job, same thing, barely made it to work. So, many jobs let me go, I needed money but couldn't show up a lot of the time. My employers said I was a great worker, when I was there, but what were they to do with an employee like me?
I was fortunate to keep a job close to my home, caring for a dear neighbors children.It wasnt much, but it helped. I got married in 1995, then I was pregnant with my first child, along with my hormones and my previous "issues" I went into a full on depression.
I seriously was out of my mind. I had my son in 1996 and for the first time, I put myself into the "mental ward" of the hospital I was at. I wanted help and I, as well as my doctor, thought it may be a good idea. My poor husband went home with our new baby by himself, at the young age of 21, as I stayed hospitalized and was "visited" by my husband and baby.
I was put on two medications, that did not help me, but, made me worse. Eventually, I had gotten to go home. The doctors in answer to my so called problems, was of course, post partum depression. Well I did just have a baby.
I was lucky enough to stay home with my children for many years but this did not rid me of my mental functioning and depression. It was very hard some days. It had gotten to a point, where a dear friend of mine, took me to seek a therapist and psychiatrist.
These doctors evaluated and tested me and finally I was given a diagnoses, it put a name to something, I thought I only suffered from. Obsessive compulsive disorder and bipolar disorder. So, I did my research and yes, this sounded like me.
When my sons were of school age, I decided to try and go back to work. I had gotten a job with this wonderful company where I helped make and manufacture ear plugs. It was line type work so I didn't have to deal with the public which was a help. Again, at times, I wouldn't be able to work for months at a time.
Finally upper management asked me why I wasn't showing up? I gave in and told them about my diagnosis and how, I lack concentration at times. They'd asked "why they weren't informed of this when I had applied for the job?" I was honest, I said every time I had listed "mental illness or disability" on a job application or resume', suddenly the parties hiring, were no longer interested in me.
The "earplug" higher ups did keep me on, but it did get to a point where I left the company, I did not think it was fair for them to keep a position open for me when they could have someone there earning for them. Great people though, I still talk to a few of them today.
Anyway, in about 2007ish, my therapist gave me a referrel to a disability lawyer. I told her I was going to try and get disability, again. I had tried previously but, without a lawyer and proof, etc. they pretty much turn you down every time. Especially if it's a "mental disability." With this lawyer, I did start to receive SSI disability.
My husband and I adopted our daughters about 10 years later. Again, the agencies we had to go through, looked at my "history" and they, didn't see how I had raised two sons with this. They don't try to learn that "I am a capable person, who, even though I'm stuck with this, can and have accomplished so much with it.
It took my therapists, psychiatrist and doctors as well as my own family and sons to vouch that I can and have raised my children. And when I needed help, I was lucky enough to have it & still do. We were finally lucky enough to adopt our daughters.
I have "this thing", called mental illness. Most of my life I did not know what it was. I have had so called friends, drop me as soon as they found out, I am still unsure why, but, it no longer bothers me like it used to. I know now, people like that are never "really" your friend.
I have had to pretty much "teach" my family, relatives and close friends about my disability so they understand how it affects not only me, but them too. Some people, I find will never let go of their perceptions, or the stigma surrounding mental illness. These people are the ones who refuse to see the truth behind it. If a person is diabetic, you can accept that, mental illness is something that should be accepted just as easily.
Frequently Asked Questions
NOTE: Researched FAQs by Disabled World (DW)
What is the difference between bipolar disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder
Bipolar disorder is a mood condition marked by shifts between depressive lows and elevated or manic highs, while obsessive compulsive disorder is an anxiety related condition involving unwanted intrusive thoughts and repetitive behaviors done to ease them. A person can be diagnosed with both at the same time.
Can you work while living with a mental health disability
Many people work successfully while managing a mental health disability, often by choosing roles that suit their needs and by using workplace accommodations. Difficulty can arise when symptoms cause frequent absences, which is why open communication and legal protections matter.
Do you have to disclose a mental illness on a job application
In most cases you are not required to disclose a mental illness on a job application, and hiring decisions based on a disability may be unlawful in many regions. Some people choose to disclose only when requesting an accommodation.
How do you qualify for SSI disability for a mental condition
Qualifying for SSI disability for a mental condition generally requires medical documentation of the diagnosis, evidence of how it limits daily functioning, and often the help of a disability lawyer. Applications are frequently denied at first and may require appeals.
Can a person with mental illness adopt children
A person with a mental illness can adopt children, though agencies assess a candidate overall stability, support system, and ability to parent. Letters from doctors, therapists, and family members can help demonstrate capability.
What causes the stigma around mental illness
Stigma around mental illness often comes from misinformation, fear, and the fact that psychiatric conditions are less visible than physical ones. Education and open conversation are among the most effective ways to reduce it.
How can family members support someone with a mental health condition
Family members can help by learning about the specific condition, listening without judgment, encouraging treatment, and being patient during difficult periods. Understanding how the condition affects daily life makes support far more effective.
Insights, Analysis, and Developments
Editorial Note: What lingers most in this account is the quiet cost of being misunderstood - the friends who vanished, the employers who valued her work yet could not accommodate her absences, and the agencies that judged her history rather than her proven ability to raise a family. Her comparison lands with force: society readily accepts a diabetic, so a psychiatric condition deserves the same acceptance rather than suspicion. For anyone still carrying the weight of an undiagnosed struggle, her decision to speak openly, teach her relatives, and refuse to let old stigma define her offers a grounded reminder that a diagnosis names a condition without erasing a capable person.*
* Editorial additions by Ian C. Langtree.