Thank you to those who replied.

I did speak with them on Monday, and the lady did not ask me any questions about school, only my financial info. However, I'm not trying to hide anything, so at the end I asked her about my being in school. She said it should not matter but that I need to tell them if I start working.

When I do start working, whether that is in a few months or many months (or perhaps even a year from now), I plan on informing them and seeing what options I have available. I don't think SSI has as many work incentives as SSDI, but I'll figure that out when I need to. I also have no intention of ever stopping my weekly doctor visits, or my medication.

Disability for mental illness, as others have said, is a little different. I think there are usually periods of full remission, like there were in my case. However, this is why the hospital and doctor's records are so important: they show that someone can have repeated relapses followed by periods of being fully functional. I suppose it is possible that SSA could decide to give benefits for one month when you're ill, and then no benefits for the 2 months of remission, and then benefits again for the next month when you're ill, etc--but the current model doesn't work this way. You are not evaluated on a month by month basis. Also, two months of remission here and there is not going to really get you enough work to live on since most employers are not hiring by the month (or at all ).

I guess my point is that, for people who are disabled by a mental illness like bipolar, I think SSA realizes you have good and bad periods; but the combined result of the bad periods makes it very unlikely you can work even during the good period when you technically are able. So I don't need to be in the midst of mania or depression 100% of the time-- just enough that long term, steady work is not viable. Likewise, if I am working for many months with no problems, then SSA has grounds to stop the benefits, since they can more easily prove that the stability will last.

Perhaps this view of how SSA considers mental illness is incorrect, in which case, I hope someone will correct me. Thanks again for your thoughtful replies.