I am giving strong thought to dropping out of my program. I don't know that anyone suspects that...I am at the top of all of my classes, have had a fantastic research position lined up all year, and make considerably more than other students (Whooo, scholarships and grants!). Unfortunately, I've had nothing short of a complete mental breakdown this semester (and somehow, the only grade I received other than an A was a B+...still top 5 in a class of ~25-30). I've been seeing a number of therapists/doctors, and have been given a preliminary diagnosis of bipolar II, on top of previously diagnosed depression, anxiety, and OCD. As such, I don't think it was caused by the courses as I didn't find them particularly stressful in the first place.
What are my options moving forward? If I drop out, it will most likely be to seek further assistance. I cannot imagine a career in anything other than physics, and I really am quite good at it when sane . My current advisor is just an OK fit and there are strong rumors in the department that she will be relocating to Germany within a few years (aka before I could finish a PhD with her anyways), so I'm not too keen on returning to my particular university if I come back to grad school after sorting my life out.
I could really use any and all of your suggestions as I really have no idea what to do moving forward. What do I do while out of school? If I am in great academic standing (I am well respected here for my course work), will I be able to reapply to another school later for my PhD if I drop out for these reasons?
Most importantly, has anyone here gone through or experienced anything similar while in graduate school? I'd love to know how you handled it/what your options came to be.
I apologize if this comes across as disjointed.
Thanks
xFigo