Do you tell people you're bipolar? (Especially teens)

I got diagnosed with BP II back in March. I've assumed I was bipolar for years, but it was sticking me on Zoloft and getting suicidal and manic to the point of emergency hospitalization that kinda made my psychiatrist think twice about my clinical depression diagnosis. But it's been both a curse and a blessing to be diagnosed. At least now we know exactly what's going on, but now I'm officially "crazy" by society's standards. Lovely, right?

That being said, how do you/do you even tell people you're bipolar? I'm fortunate enough to only have had short manic episodes around family members, and I got pretty good at hiding my depression, so no one, especially my friends, know there's anything wrong with me. Should I tell people? I feel like I'm living a double life with my friends, but at the same time I just want to fit in. Ideas?

It's probably a good idea to tell them. If for some reason you don't want to tell them the actual diagnosis, I think you should at least mention your depression. If they're worth keeping as friends, then they will understand and your friendship will be all the better for it.

You may think that they don't notice your depression, but they very likely do. I thought my friends didn't notice either, but recently I found out that they really did. They were checking up on me all the time and asking each other how I was doing. Ironically, this was going on when I felt that no one would care if I disappeared from the earth.

Simple answer is yes I do. I find it quite liberating to be honest. All my friends and family know and are mindful and alert to how I'm acting. It's great because they have been able to spot things going on before I have. Having people like that has been a literal life saver for me on a few occasions. Sure there are people who now avoid me and that hurts but that's a small price to pay. Generally I don't care about those people anyway. True friends are a blessing and the won't care.

I only tell my closest friends. Obviously my family knows - they're the ones who begged me to see somebody and I'm thankful for that. I'm fortunate in the sense that my inner circle consists of people who are Bipolar or PTSD. We all have a different story to tell, but we understand each other.

beautyfrompain wrote:but now I'm officially "crazy" by society's standards. Lovely, right?

I can understand this. When it's "just" depression, it's ok. Everybody has that, right? But once we're bipolar, then it's SMI, or seriously mentally ill. I tried to avoid a diagnosis for years because of the stigma. Talking with my cousin showed me how much I thought were individual quirks of my mother's, manifested in my aunts as well. We both suspect our parents were bipolar with possible schizophrenia. My mom avoided help for years, and even after a psychotic break, was only diagnosed with depression. I still wonder how she did that.

I used to tell people of importance so that they know my behavior may seem off. I 've found i dont tell anyone any more unless they curious about my behavior. Other people arent worth the trouble to waste my energy on.

i'm open about everything in my life. i'm a trans lesbian with bipolar disorder and i'm "out" about all three of those things. i guess the way i see it is that if i want things to get better - if i want equal rights for lgbt people, if i want better mental health services, if i want better medical services re: trans stuff - i need to be vocal about why it's important. so yeah, i have no problem telling everyone what's going on with me.

I've told a few people. But most of the time I wish I hadn't bothered. Telling my parents has ruined my relationship with them as they can't get past the stigma of their son being classed as "mental" and they don't really treat me as a person any more. I've told friends and most just seem a bit scared of me now. A certain few I really am glad I told, they treat me exactly the same and I can talk to them openly even about things as bad as suicide and stuff like that. But my advice would be to think carefully about who to tell and not to just go shouting around. It also made me feel more insane when I was telling everyone that I was insane, sort of making myself live up to the name and that. It's a difficult one though. Not everyone is as accepting as they should be.

Hey! I used to be really embarrassed about being bipolar and would try to keep it a secret, but lately I've just started to care less about what other people think. Most people who know me know about the bipolar because I've been in hospital so many times, usually for months at a time. Many people are surprised when I tell them I'm bipolar, because apparently I "seem so normal". Being on a bipolar research team means that I am in a suppportive environment and I can use my experiences to benefit others, so it's quite easy to be open and honest. I also do talks and presentations about the personal experience of having bipolar, usually to university students (psychology or medicine). Recently I haven't had many bad experiences with being so open, but I did have some bad responses years ago, mainly from youngish students at university who didn't understand what bipolar was and got scared. I don't go around telling people for the sake of it, but if it's relevant, then yes, I'm honest. But I suppose it all depends on the circumstances....it pays to be a bit wary sometimes. Best, Keenie

I'm too open about it and when I was manic I'm pretty sure the whole town knew something isn't right with that guy. So yeah I tell people and have since I was diagnosed at 20. And I told people in the months leading up to my hospitalization because I knew something wasn't right. I wish their wasn't such a stigma but their is and true friends will always stay. And honestly I would have a stigma towards myself If I was facebook friends with myself. Some of the hypomanic status's I've posted in the past its enough to put people off.