The people who understand and continue to care about you are the ones you really want in your life. The people who get scared easily may not be able to handle future episodes if they do happen (though you sound like you're on the right track to prevent that!) For me, I scared the crap out of my roommate's mom in a situation involving a knife, and that roommate is cordial but distant. I've lost several other friends in various situations due to mania and depression. But for my family, my best friend, my partner? I threw things at them, I hit them, I took their money, and they still love me and do everything they can to help me, as long as I'm trying to stay healthy. So in the end, it's better to have a few people who support you all the way than to have many friends who aren't there for you in the worst of times. I'm left feeling empty from those kinds of friends because they don't help when I really need it. But if you can restore a kind of peace, like I did with my roommate, you can at least have friendly conversations with them or be in social situations without a problem. I've learned that is has to be on their terms though, and if they don't want to talk to you, don't push.