Well, you can't blame everything on your bipolar, and yes, you do need to sort your (stuff) out. We all do. Each and every one of us. The illness doesn't give us permission to be a-holes. HOWEVER---it's so hard when you're newly diagnosed to be able to separate what's you from what's your disease, and the people around you need to understand that you really aren't trying to piss them off.

What you need to be able to do is educate, and the only way to educate them is to know what you're dealing with. That's where your doctor and to some extent, your friends here at Psych Central can help. You can also research the condition online, although you have to be careful where you get your information; WebMD and MayoClinic are reputable sites, and there's Psych Education that's run by a nationally known expert on bipolar disorder, Dr. James Phelps. (He actually works in the same clinic as my pdoc!!)

Yes, you do have a mental illness, and it IS real. No one would choose it, but it doesn't have to mean the end of life as you know it. Wishing you well.