Bipolar Support Group

Even before I was diagnosed a couple of my supervisors mentioned "chemical imbalances" to me. So the people around me could already see it, even when I didn't know what it was called. I've been treated a little differently at times, but never truly badly.

Some of my siblings know. My mother knew it before I did. They all treat me fine, they just don't want to talk about it. They just avoid the subject altogether. Knowing has helped my husband, because now he knows I'm not doing it on purpose. He sees me, not the illness.

The stigma is real especially professionally. Socially, yes it sucks because people fall away and all you are left with is the people who REALLY love and care for you...sometimes that is okay and sometimes it sucks lol....okay well MOSTLY it sucks lol.

It's an open wound that won't seem to heal. I just wish I could have prevented my daughter from experiencing the stigma and shame.

TRUST NO ONE!!!

Post edited by: FriedBrainNuggets, at: 12/30/2009 03:38 PM

I have played my cards close to my chest when it comes to my bipolar. I know my closer friends knew something was very wrong and of course, so did my husband. But I've never told my family though I'm sure they thought I was out there at times. Now that I am stable, I don't think anyone can tell that I have a mental illness unless I choose to tell them. But my feeling is that it's really no ones business.

ty all for sharing this with me . bless you and a safe new year !

Same to you BP man! I haven't gotten a chance to listen to the song you posted, but I will when I get access to my laptop ( using cell phone to respond ) Beth

Thanks Bipolarman,

I am with beth with thanking you for starting the thread. I am learning that there a million ways of dealing with this and all of them work for the individual who has them.

What I am learning that if I would be quiet enough to read the replies of others, I learn from their experiences. I am still pretty opinionated and there is a time for that.

No worries and love the thread, thanks again for starting it

Merrill

Speaking as a RN, the stigma is HORRENDOUS!! I worked in ER for a while and we would have psych patients come in regularly. Everyone avoided them like the plague. A pt would present with "medical" issues, but the problem really was the underlying mental illness. Pt not taking meds or taking them inappropriately, etc. The point being the attitude was 'so and so' is back for the third time this shift, it's somebody else's turn! When I worked on the medical floors, the nurse's and MD's attitude frequently interfered with the quality of care the patient deserved. So, I didn't advertise my diagnosis and had to change jobs frequently to hide my diagnosis. Now that I'M unable to work and won't be able to return to my career, I ran into former co-worker, and when he asked if I was still working at___, I very briefly mentioned, I wasn't working due to poorly managed symptoms of Bipolar. Wow is all I can say, he couldn't get away quick enough, and totally ignored 'Bipolar'. So, I personally think that the medical community needs to be educated first, and they should be the ones to bring accurate awareness to the community to bring the changes necessary to the general public to eliminate and/or decrease the stigma.

i wear the mask well around people all the time most people i meet only see my morbid personality more than anything else

My goal is to start a company in 10 years that facilitates workshops for companies on mental health and sensitivity training. I would start it now, but I don't know how beneficial it would be for me to"tear a strip" off of someone for being an ignorant douche bag! I'm working on my "issues" with my therapist LOL Beth