I've had BP since a kid. I always knew that if I said what was going on I'd never be released from jail. When I learned about psych wards I knew I'd never be let out or we'd be taken away. There was a lot of conversations about relinquishing custody of us (my older sister was worse) or my parents separating for my mom and my younger sister safety.

As a kid I had periods of no sleep, hallucinations, threatening my parents life with knives, and spending weeks crying and hiding because they deserved a better child.

As a pre-teen/early teen I spent my time being hypersexual, cutting, and generally flipping out (pretty sure I was bipolar because my sister was dx'd)

14-15- required by school to go to therapy, mostly psychotic and on drugs

16-drugs, homeless, sleeping around or non-responsive, and trying to harm myself in class, drinking in school (School threatening Involuntarily committing me daily)
17- Transferred (on my birthday) to a GED therapeutic day program, OD'd because time was running to slow, dx'd anorexic/bulimic and depression (living with my parent's)

mid-17 - Went to college, slept around almost kicked out due to mixed, met husband got engaged 2 weeks after meeting, Failed out of college

18- homeless, got an apartment, my dad applied for ssi for me, I applied at several strip clubs for bar tending, got SSI, decided to have a kid, husband asked me to go to therapy but I didn't know I had insurance. Got pregnant, my husband lost his job because of my instability and physical health. Had my son.

19- spent most of the time non-responsive crying or locking myself in the bathroom so I don't harm my son, became homeless, had surgery and moved cross country on $500. found housing, started college, had several emotional affairs, partied, refusing to interact with my husband or son, Sister in-law and cousin in-law moved in, my husband got a job, moved apartments.

20- Depressed but interacting brought home a homeless person, several time homeless and husband lost his job.

21- moved cross country dysphoric mania hit, then non-responsive depression hit, my husband threatened Divorce if I didn't get help. GP gives me AD which just makes me mixed. Evicted but squated

22-23 public housing, new GP dx. BPII sent to pdoc, mixed

24 moved into family's house, mixed
25 homeless aka. moved into friends house (final DX. mood disorder NOS, Eating disorder NOS)
26 moved to current home, went off meds, husband got job
27 husband became depressed then manic and put on fmla and into community mental health, found out our son tried to commit suicide, husband lossed job
28- Husband's therapist tried to convince me/him for me to do intake as she got to know us. Paranoid that she'd commit me I went to intake.