Our daughter, who is a civilian contractor working with the Army in Afghanistan, had to supply not only her own health history (which is minimal) but give ours as well to receive her security clearance before she could take the job. She said my diagnosis raised a couple of eyebrows, but she did get her clearance. I was hoping it wouldn't cost her that opportunity, after all, SHE'S not bipolar. But I think it concerned them because it can be hereditary.

It stinks when we'd rather have a diagnosis of depression because it's more socially acceptable than our actual diagnosis of BP. ALL mental illnesses suck; why can't we just be who and what we are without being defined by them?