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I don't have advice on making friends, but I would say that I prefer to keep my diagnosis out of my relationships/friendships (for the most part). I feel like as soon as the cat is out of the bag, others will from then on see me through that lens (often a distorted one, because the vast majority of people do not 'get' bipolar disorder). I especially don't want anyone interpreting any mood I may be in, behavior I'm exhibiting, etc., as 'my bipolar.' I feel like this is so limiting. Constraining.
Others' not knowing my diagnosis makes my interactions with people, my relationships with them freer. Most of what I do, feel, say, experience is not 'my bipolar.' It's me. And me is super-complicated, multi-faceted. And yes I have more energy some days than others, I'm more talkative sometimes, down other times, irritable at times, sometimes I have good insights, other times I'm scattered, etc., etc. And *none* of this is the Bipolar -they're just moods, etc. like anyone else has. I want to be allowed to be me, to have my moods, and my ideas and emotions, to be my psychological self unencumbered by people looking for 'bipolar' me too much of the time, by people's (understandable) ignorance regarding the illness, the stereotypes people have in their heads...
So, in brief, it's very rare that I share this.
I think a support group is a good idea. I think that's the best place (and places like here) to share struggles with bipolar disorder. I don't mind if, in that particular context, people see me through the bipolar lens. I'm there (here) about a specific part of me. With everyone else, I want it to be about *all* of me -as far as what I bring to that friendship/relationship.
I'm currently in a 'babbling mood' -so I hope this makes sense!
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