I don't regard the stigma as existent except in people who are either uneducated, have serious problems of their own, or are unaware of what bipolar illness really is. The most well-educated people are generally free of a stigma, period. That has been my experience, and I have never regarded anyone who has a stigma as really capable of evaluating who I am or what I am in terms of the me that I know myself to be.

In most cases, stigma is really a lack of knowledge about the illness. I know that some have the problem, but it's their problem, not mine. And I don't let it interfere with my life. I choose the people whom I want to be friends, and those who object simply live their own lives any way they can.

Please don't ever evaluate yourself based on somebody else's opinion of who you are. People don't reveal the real truth about much of anything when they talk; they really reveal more of themselves than anything else. Don't even judge yourself; just live by your deepest inner principles and you'll be fine. That seems to work for many, I think.

Take care and feel good about yourself, because you really are a good person. You know your limitations, as all intelligent people do, and you're very capable of being successful and helpful in life to many, many others. That's our purpose in being, in my view.