I approach relationships now looking for companionship and see where they lead, not just assuming this WILL be a BF at some point. This could just become a potential friend, partner, or technical BF; it may go one way or another. So in that respect, it depends on the person, how close I feel, what their values and morals are, how trustworthy they are, if the MI issues are important to develop the relationship with sharing more of myself, and then these things will help me to determine whether I can share my MI issues with them at some point.

There is no set time; it really depends on the person and where the relationship is. It takes time to get to know someone to know if sharing will be helpful or harmful, whether it be a friend or even an actual BF, and even then there is no way to tell how someone will react. However, getting to know someone is important in general when dating and like anyone, everyone has their issues that are not always shown upfront but at some point, BP just happens to be my baggage that comes with me. I want them to get to know me before any possible stigmatized label enters into the picture. I may tell at some point when feel the timing is right, if I feel I can trust them and it is appropriate. It may never get to that point. There are some gems that it sharing was the right thing to do.

My experience with two people dating with BP as you asked about: I dated someone who also was diagnosed with BP once and it worked well in that we understood where each other was coming from. Where it did not work so well was that our moods were triggering for the other. One could argue that this is the case for any relationship, but it was a little more extreme. In the end it did not work out because we had different goals in life for a family, but it worked otherwise.

I wish you well in dating. It can be a mindfield but a lot of fun getting to know new people. Have a lot of good friends that have come from it. Good luck!