It's kinda annoying when people post frivolous answers to a question when they have absolutely no knowledge about the topic (which is serious). Congratulations, you'll make great lawyers.
My qualifications: Not stellar, but I have bipolar disorder and I graduated from law school last December.
About applying to law schools & the moral fitness exam in CA (don't know about other states): you're given an out. The application asks whether or not you
currently have a condition that to your knowledge does not and will not affect your ability to perform your job with due diligence blah blah blah... Our ethics professor strongly emphasized this point. Read the wording carefully. The language might or might not have changed.You might not have to disclose at all if you're being treated and you're symptom-free. If you're in law school, you're probably doing pretty well. For my part, I have to somehow explain where those years just
after law school went. Try not to go there.
If you have to disclose, then use it to your advantage in an essay: I have a terrible illness but I overcame that giant hurdle and now I'm just peachy. Point out current examples of your ability to function. You might want to throw in something about how very diligent you are to maintain your treatment. However, don't disclose unless you have to.
As to managing your life - you cannot avoid stress as a 1L and you must manage it. Stress is your enemy.
- Try to find a school that won't chuck you out if you drop below a B average. (Many toilet schools do this.)
- Find the best treatment available. I asked a psychologist who is affiliated with the local medical school for references, with good results.
- Be diligent about your treatment.
- Develop a support network. Someone else mentioned this, and for good reason. It is essential. If you're far from home it will be difficult to find someone you trust. Try to network & find out if there are any friends of friends or slightly distant relatives who would be receptive to your situation. Use the phone, email, or anything else to maintain communication with people at home. I wouldn't use a social networking site to discuss your problem since potential employers will find that information.
- It's hard to know when you're getting a bit too manic or depressed. Consider making a contract with a person(s) that you trust stating that you will go to the doctor if the person(s) think that you need to. If you have to go and there's no problem, you haven't lost anything. If you have to go and something's up, it can be corrected before Something Bad happens. If you have bipolar disorder, you know what Something Bad means.
- Develop an exercise routine, even if it's minimal, and stick to it.
- Watch your diet. Try to make it routine, reasonably healthy, quick and easy to prepare. A schedule is helpful. You might have to resort to machine or trash food from time to time; don't worry about it. Such occasions are unavoidable.
- Get rid of all computer games and bookmarks for online games. I'm serious. The study time lost will increase your stress, and you, unlike your classmates, can't afford the harm done. If you use games to relax, use a schedule and software that will control how much time you spend.
- Be flexible. If your schedule falls apart for a day, fine. Fall back into your routine when you can. And don't make your routine too detailed - give yourself wiggle room.
- Be gentle with yourself. Don't beat yourself up if you have a bad day & miss class or something. (However two bad days merit a visit with your psychiatrist.)
- Take fewer classes during your second and third year if you can.
- Organize, and take the time to stay organized. That means online and off.
- Sell your books and recycle your papers at the end of each semester. Believe me, you won't have the time or inclination to go back and browse through them later. BarBri will give you all of the outlines and information you'll need for the bar exam. You can get back a little money and keep the clutter out of your living space. Clutter = added stress.
- Schedule time to do something you enjoy. You could spend time with your family, participate informally in a sport, work on a hobby, or just hang out somewhere that is not in the vicinity of your school. You must get away from school once in a while.
- I discussed my child's illness with the Dean and she was absolutely A plus about helping me to get through school, including allowing me to drop the 2nd semester of con law in my first year and delaying an exam in my second year. After my decompensation, she got approval for some exceptions that bent the rules to the breaking point, all so that I could finish my degree far beyond the usual time limits. I am very grateful.
- If you can't find a sympathetic ear at your school, go to whoever is responsible for students with disabilities. (You do have a disability even though you're not in a wheelchair or anything. Mental illness is called an invisible disability.) Those people are usually well informed about what you can and cannot do, and can advise you of work-arounds that you might not be aware of.
Good Luck