Are we alone with our Bipolar?

I feel the only ones we have to turn to in this world is our pdocs, therapists and HW....partners and spouses depending on who you are...I do have friends in my life but they don't understand....

So pretty much the first 3 of the above....

Stigma is so powerful in the world that I feel bps are grouped together to be left on their own.

My views probably seem negative but it just comes from experience. Employers don't want to deal with it, families don't want to deal with it, etc etc....

Such is the life of having a mental illness....

Okay, now onto the more positive feedbacks I know will come after my post! As they should, I am still depressed today.

I agree with both of the above posts. 

I think to an extent many people don't acknowledge us because they have trouble understanding what we go through every day- every hour, even.  They think we can just "snap out of it" or we're just making a conscious decision about how we feel, even though that's not the case... AT ALL. 

I think that the mindset of a BP patient also contributes.  We're so much inside our heads all the time that we don't have time to connect with people and get emotionally involved in any relationship, so people are left to judge us as "freaks" or "weirdos," which means we must obviously must be avoided in order to cultivate the "norm" of society.  It's really sad, but that's the way most people think.  Families can be the worst of these people, too.  Parents refuse to admit that their child has such an "uncommon" ailment, so they choose to ignore it or get angry because they can't help without professional help. 

So we're left to fend for ourselves.  Of course, being alone just feeds the stupid vicious cycles that never go AWAY.. and people still judge us unfairly based on our externally disconnected beings.  It makes us hate our brains, but at the same time makes us want to stay in our brains, because coming out of it would mean discomfort in society from previous problems, and would mean our entire lifestyle(s) would be gone. 

Ugh, I don't mean to rant.  Ask me in a couple of days, and I'd probably give a more inspirational response, filled with happiness and positivity.  Obviously, though, today isn't one of those days. :(

I agree with all. I do feel the stigma of BP makes it very difficlt to admit to anyone except those closest to us that we are BP. As a counselor, I am forever hearing clients harshly judge a frend, spouse, etc as being "nuts" or crazy because they are bipolar. Rarely do I see empathy for a BP person, even though I try my best to promote it. It is a rare person who actually sees that being BP just might be very difficult. I know again as a counselor I can not disclose that fact to clients (unless they are BP) because I immediately lose my credibility with the client. I hate I have to "hide" yhis. Now every so often I have to take off work for a couple weeks to regroup because I am having a period of being unstable and swinging moods and I tell my clients I have to take some mental health days off. The clients never ask what that means. because they really don't want to think there is something "wrong" with their therapist. The only people that really support me are my hubby, 2 adult sons & their SO's,, my pdoc and therapist. Rest of extended family thiks I should pull myself up by boot straps. m There are times I feel completely alone and that is when I am super depressed and isolate myself from my suppport, but that is my doing....just comes with the territory. Overall, this aloneness makes me sad.