hamster-bamster had some good advice. It is hard for us that suffer from mental illness to understand it. It is certainly hard for family to get the idea. We tend to hide the worst of our symptoms from our family, so they think we are fine. Definitely be honest with your mom about how you are feeling. Hopefully, she will understand. Also, check out the bipolar forum to get more information and ask questions if you want. Glad you found PC it's a great place to come and talk about your issues, especially, the ones that other folks just don't understand.
Gayle