My trigger was the bleak black depression I went into for a little over a year. I was dealing w the aftermath of a Manic episode and withdrew from the world. My friends, family stopped calling and eventually went away. I could only be comfortable by myself.

Now, 2 years later and I started to realize how much I needed to connect with people again.

This is a first step for me and I'm glad I did.

I also agree about the stigma. Nobody knows and they never will. People throw the word "bi-polar" around to describe anyone they think is crazy. It's sad but true.