Hello fullmetalchampion- I want to start by saying I am really sorry you are feeling this way and are having trouble making friends. I have had similar issues making friends all through out school, college work etc. I have made several friends now but I have times when I don't feel like I have any true friends. One thing that is going to be difficult to hear and understand is your bipolar disorder plays a big factor in how you view things. My therapist talks to me about this because though I do talk to people and hang out with them I don't feel connected with them. Additionally, when I am in a depressive state, I have a tendency to be paranoid. Some one thing you want to try to tackle is determining what is fact and what is being influenced by your depression.

With this said, regarding your family, since I really don't know their personalities, I am not sure my suggestions will work. One thing i do to bond with my family is I ask if they want to play a board game, watch a movie together or go out to dinner. I don't know if you guys eat dinner together but you could offer to cook a fun meal to enjoy together.

With work, I had similar issues working for a small company. Do you work for a smaller company? About three years ago I started working for a bigger company. I did not magically become a social butterfly actually when I first started working there I had a lot of trouble talking with people. I started out hiding in a corner at lunch, eventually I became brave enough to go sit with some of my coworkers. My next step was actually holding a conversation with them instead of being just being apart of the background. Once I began talking with them more comfortably I started inviting people to concerts, dinner and whatever else seemed fun. Sometimes they say no, but many times I am successful.. My point is it sounds like you are working for a smaller company with narrow minded people. Though it may not be possible immediately, you may want to consider looking for a bigger company to work for, where you have more opportunities to meet people.

Another thing I did is join a bipolar support group. There was not one in my area for the longest time. I finally succeeded in finding one. On a side note, the group is small and there are two transgendered people in there. So you are by no means alone with that combination. Those two transgender people go to a transgender support group as well. You may want to try looking for a group like this as well. Anyway just a few ideas.