I am so glad I found this one! I have been navigating around for a few days; just registered last nite and feel relieved now to have found your thread. I am 40; recently diagnosed with bipolar; but something has been wrong for a LONG time; I just finally found the courage to go to doc and get help.
My husband is confused and in denial but he is trying to be supportive. I know he loves when I'm up (like right now) cause I do suffer with some hypersex issues and he gets the false sense of I'm ok so everything is ok.
I have told my mom and my best friend. Mom was very cool and supporting, glad that I have finally gotten help- in her words "we've seen you up and down for so long"; my best friend of 20+ years however was not so supportive, she identifies bipolar with "unstability"- we haven't lived in the same state in 15 years so I have been able to hide a lot from her. I have hidden a lot from everyone; I think that's why I get mixed emotions from family- I have held the mask VERY tightly.
I am seeing a general doc because I'm also going through perimenopause; a therapist and will soon see a psychiatrist for mood stabilizers (this has all happened since April, so I am brand new to all of this). I take Cymbalta 60mg (up from 30mg) and Black Cohosh for the perimenopause symptoms.
I also am dealing with some food issues that my therapist is helping me figure out. Since I am up right now; my thoughts are so scattered, she has to reel me in a lot and we dont get a lot of work done (so I think anyway, she may see it differently).
So I hope nothing I said was a "trigger"- looking forward to being helped here and hopefully being able to help someone else too. It makes things so much easier when someone else is going through the same thing and they can put it into words you can't!