In 2 weeks, I will be moving back in with my parents. I'm excited because I love my family, and enjoy spending time with them. We get along well.

The only problem is that the reason why we get along and are peaceful is because I hide my identity from them. They know that I'm bisexual, but I never talk about girls that I'm attracted to because I know that they won't understand and will judge me.

We have differing political beliefs, and this is one area where I can stand up for myself. However, they think that my liberal leanings are misguided and strange.

The biggest issue is my mental health. I hide my symptoms from them until they get to the critical point where I have to go to the ER. My parents don't see me as strong and capable for surviving thus far with my battle with bipolar. They see me as fragile and delicate. It's really annoying. "Are you sure you should be drinking that wine?" "Are you sure that you're strong enough for medical school? It's really stressful" "You should go to grad/med school close to home so you don't have a breakdown like you did in Italy."

Anytime I post anything the slightest bit odd on facebook, I get e-mails/calls from them demanding to know if I'm alright and/or asking me to take the post down so that other people don't judge me. They make me feel like I'm a bad person because I'm weird.

I'm going to be living with them and living with these symptoms. I'm proud of where I am with my life, and while this illness sometimes makes me vulnerable, I believe that I am a strong person at my core.

I want to be myself around them, not hide who I am because they don't approve. I'm proud to be a weird, nerdy, bisexual, schizoaffective person. I want to let my unique personality shine.

How can I get the courage to be myself around them? And how can I convince them that my true identity is beautiful, and something I should be proud of?

Thanks