Motown: I have no problem with accepting that I have bipolar. I've basically known it for years.

I have a huge amount of trouble, however, with the idea of "getting help" because my brain insists that I should be able to get through it on my own. And truth be told, I've been lucky and have been quite successful with it. I've chosen to bite the bullet and put myself through my own he** because I think it will be beneficial for my students moreso than for myself.

At least to some degree, my reasonings go along with George's. I'm a female. Stereotypically females are seen as weak and emotional and unstable. It makes me feel worse knowing that I'm reinforcing sexist stereotypes by being a weak, emotional, and unstable woman. I'd rather not, because in every other way I am NOT weak and unstable, and I'm not overly emotional when I'm in a normal phase of my cycle. Mental Illness is viewed as a weakness by the majority of society, and it's hard to have to go along with it, even though we know it isn't a weakness. It just is.

I'm glad that you had your own stereotypes about mental illness corrected by attending. That's one less person who will think that everyone with mental illness is less than normal.