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Bipolar Forums › General & Support › Do you talk with friends/family about bipolar?
04/28/2009 01:15 AM
tidarod9
Posts: 40
Member
I am still not comfortable talking about having bipolar. I don't talk to anyone except my doctor once a month.

My 7 year old asked me why I take medication and I tried to explain it to her but I couldn't find the words. It was harder than explaining private parts, God, or where babies come from.

I can tell she is trying to understand why I do some of the things I do and I want to be there for her.

Any advice? How do you tell/talk to family/friends?

T
Reply

04/28/2009 01:52 AM  Top
neondreams
neondreams
 
Posts: 7297
VIP Member
After I was IP in 2006 for my first manic/psychotic episode, my 2 younger nieces (both 5 years old) asked me where I was because I had been hospitalized for a little over a month. I couldn't lie, so I told them that I wasn't feeling well and that doctors were trying to help me feel better. I compared my experience to them taking medication when they have the flu or an ear infection. Both of them seemed to understand the concept right away and accepted what I told them.

Having said that, I don't tell anyone about my bipolar. I'm afraid to because of the stigma that exists and the fact that I don't want to be known as the friend or family member who has BP. I want to be known for the real me -- not my mental illness.

Bipolar I with Rapid Cycling

Meds:
Geodon 120mg
Prozac 20mg
Trazodone 100mg
Klonopin .5mg

04/28/2009 02:11 AM  Top
tidarod9
Posts: 40
Member
When I first found out, I thought no big deal, i am still the same person my friends know. I told a few and they disappeared for a while. Even one whose husband has bipolar and another whose brother has bipolar.

You made a good point... I want to be known as me.

Thanks

T

I told my daughter the medicine is to help my brain work better so I don't get frustrated so easily.

04/28/2009 03:08 AM  Top
neondreams
neondreams
 
Posts: 7297
VIP Member
It's sad when family and friends choose not to understand or accept us for the people we are. Just because we have bipolar doesn't mean we are any less of a human than they are. I'm patiently waiting for the day when mental illness will no longer have a stigma attached to it, but I fear I won't be here on this Earth to see that happen.
Bipolar I with Rapid Cycling

Meds:
Geodon 120mg
Prozac 20mg
Trazodone 100mg
Klonopin .5mg

04/28/2009 03:39 AM  Top
fragilexbroken
fragilexbroken
 
Posts: 3891
Senior Member
I talk pretty openly with my mom and my boyfriend. The rest of my family knows I'm sick, but I don't know how much my mom has told who. If someone asks a direct question I'll answer it, but I don't volunteer much info on the bipolar on my own. I only have a couple close friends, and they know, too, but we don't talk about it. I'm lucky to be surrounded by understanding people, apparently.
"If you are flammable and have legs you are never blocking a fire exit." - Mitch Hedberg

"A pill to make you numb
A pill to make you dumb
A pill to make you anybody else
But all the drugs in this world
Won't save her from herself"
-- Marilyn Manson "Coma White"

Strattera 100mg
alprazolam 1mg PRN

Playing this treatment game since January 2003.

04/28/2009 03:59 AM  Top
neondreams
neondreams
 
Posts: 7297
VIP Member
I think my entire family knows about my bipolar due to my hospitalization in 2006.

However, I rarely talk to anyone because most of my family lives out of town and don't have access to e-mail as far as I know.

Bipolar I with Rapid Cycling

Meds:
Geodon 120mg
Prozac 20mg
Trazodone 100mg
Klonopin .5mg

04/28/2009 04:40 AM  Top
Darknessiss
Darknessiss
 
Posts: 404
Member
I tell lots of people I'm bi-polar and ADHD because I am not ashamed of it for some reason.

I am also a recovering drug addict and I am much less likely to divulge that bit of info in conversation than the bi-polar/ADHD issues.

Maybe being bi-polar or ADHD is a gift that makes us very unique and interesting? Maybe it is better for my friends and family to know so they can give me some emotional support?

Cherio!

-DarkBlink

diagnosed: Bipolar I, SAD (social phobia), ADHD - Combined Type, Factor V Leiden

presribed meds: Warfarin (coumadin) 5mg, Seroquel (quetiapine fumarate) 600mg, Effexor XR (venlafaxine) 300mg, Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine dimesylate) 70mg,


non-prescribed OTC meds: Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) 1000mg, Men's Potent Formula (for my libido because we all need lovin, lol)!

04/28/2009 05:05 AM  Top
Dit
Dit
 
Posts: 12051
Group Leader
I'm an Advocate
I'm pretty selective as to who I share with about being bipolar cause I don't want them judging me should they be ignorant about this and alot of people are. Sometimes mi scares people. I thing most of us are more sane than the non-medicated people...lol.

My family all know; I keep a lot private from them but share some things like med changes, etc. My husband just about knows everything that going on with me; some things I choose to not share with him in too much detail and deal with my therapist. Even my kids know i'm bipolar, wanted to tell them cause I don't want them to take anything too personal. Ermm

Be Still and Know That I Am - Scripture
12-Step Slogans - One Day/Moment at a Time/Just for Today/Let Go & Let God/But By the Grace of God
Live and Let Live/Easy Does It/This Too Shall Pass

"Don't be afraid to cry. It will free your mind of sorrowful thoughts." - Hopi tribe

Bipolar I

Lithium 300 mgs, Lamotrigine 200 mgs, Klonopon (Clonazepam) .05mg more if needed, Clomipramine (Anafranil) 25 mgs, Abilify 5 mgs, Seroquel 25 mgs

Please note that I am not a psychiatrist or psychologist. My opinions are personal only. This site is not intended to be a substitution for professional care, nor is anyone here qualified to make diagnoses.

04/28/2009 05:14 AM  Top
pirateprincess421
pirateprincess421
 
Posts: 31179
VIP Member
I'm pretty selective about who I share anything with. I also have PTSD due to sexual traumas when I was a child. I don't want anyone feeling sorry for me or judging me about that. The Bipolar thing is an after thought. I have more problems with the PTSD then the bipolar. I tend to keep quiet about it and even with my family we don't talk about it. We talk about the meds working and how stable I am. But thats just with my husband. My mom asks every once in awhile to see that I'm not going off the deep end. But even her words are guarded.

I basically don't talk about it at all.

Princess Lainey

Lamictal 200mg
Risperdal 1.5mg
Trazadon 100mg
Klonapin 1mg
Lexapro 20mg
Wellbutrin 150mg

PS...I hate the snow

Please note that I am not a psychiatrist or psychologist. My opinions are personal only. This site is not intended to be a substitution for professional care, nor is anyone here qualified to make diagnoses.

04/28/2009 08:03 AM  Top
tw12357
tw12357Posts: 277
Member
My immediate family knows and have gone through my episodes/hospitalizations with me. My closest friends know. But I don't tell everyone, and I don't tell anyone at work. Its not something they need to know. I can perform my job, which is what's important.
Reply

Health Topics: Mild Depression
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