I am 24 years old and also pretty new to the forum. Had my first manic episode that ended in psychosis and hospitalization at the beginning of April (I keep saying it was the longest April Fool's joke ever lol). I got my official diagnosis of Bipolar I/Generalized Anxiety yesterday.

Just wanted to respond and say hi because we are around the same age and seem to be at the same stage of life from what I can see. About a year and a half ago I had to quit a full time job (well, 30 hrs) because it was just making me super depressed and nearly suicidal. I felt like I couldn't tell anyone there that I was seeing a therapist for the depression because most of the people at my work were the types that would judge me and expect me to just suck it up. After quitting, my depression cleared up pretty fast, so I know certain environments can just be really bad for mental health. I work at a movie theater now for about 15 hrs per week. I'm kind of ashamed that at my age I am only making about $100 a week with no benefits and even struggling with those few shifts. I am also in grad school to become a counselor myself, but since this psychotic break happened, most days I am not sure if I will manage to make it through the two semesters of internship I will have to do.

But I try to focus on positive things too, like cultivating the few relationships I have with people I care about and taking care of basic things at the house. I am more than just a paycheck and the people that really care about me can see that.

I hope things get better for you...in my experience, they always seem to do eventually. Feel free to keep me and anyone else who reads your post updated. I have found that there are lots of people who are going through some of the same things I am and probably feel the same way I do, and knowing that is really helpful to me.