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Originally Posted by Kmmnewtobp
So I finally broke down and told my "friends" about my diagnoses. It was the worst experience I could have imagined. They told me there is nothing wrong with me, that's it's all in my head. They told me to stop my pity party and think positive and I will be fine. They told me I have nothing to be depressed about and I need to start being grateful for my life. I guess after 15+ years of friendship I thought I would get support not ridicule. I wish I never would have said anything. Meeting with my therapist this morning, hoping she can give me some insight. What has been y'all's experience with telling friends and loved ones?
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Your friends may have thought they were being helpful, but they were not.
I, too, have struggled with whether or who to tell about my being bipolar. So far, the only others who know are my GP who made the diagnosis, and I have told just one friend. But I live alone, and it would be helpful to have someone else. This Bipolar Forum is a gift! But it is not with me in my everyday life...
I have also struggled with accepting the diagnosis of being bipolar and beating myself up about it. What I have found helpful is to read literature about how to tell family or friends about being bipolar and applying the same things to telling myself, really telling myself I am bipolar and how to cope with it. Helpful pages I found about how to tell family and friends include:
Telling Family Members | Bipolar Parenting
Helping a Loved One with Bipolar Disorder: Children, Teens, and Family
NAMI | "The First 48 Hours with Bipolar Disorder"
Bipolar Disorder and Family Support: How to Tell Others About Your Bipolar
While on one hand fear of telling others may seem the safest thing to do to not get hurt, it also can isolate us more. Building a support system that is not dependent on just 1-2 people other than our medical providers can help.
When I told one friend, I did so after reading the guides, and I also tried to not be overly sensitive and jump to conclusions about her reaction because she isn't bipolar or has any mental health condition that I know of, so she probably doesn't know anything about bipolar and accordingly not know how to respond to it, especially in a comforting way that I would want.
So sometimes we may need to give our friends some slack, too--they may be trying to be helpful but they really need some literature or guidance on how to be helpful...
Good luck!