Perhaps the people around you don't know how to deal with your psychiatric issues. If it makes them uncomfortable, they're not going to want to have anything to do with that.

3 years ago, I lost my job. The company had started to tank and you know the drill -- last hired, first fired. They started out by cutting my hours in half in Oct., then just canning me completely at the end of Dec. I proceeded to be out of regular, full-time work for 10 months.

The people I worked with had 2 solid months to say something to me, or offer to do what they could to help, etc. You know what? Not only could they not look me in the eye, on my last day, nobody even said goodbye and good luck. I had a good cry over that one.

But someone pointed out to me that these people were probably thinking, "OMG, that could be me." Or, "what can I say that will make it any better?" Sometimes people are afraid of making it WORSE, so they just shut up and avert their eyes.

I'm wide open about my mental health issues. It's a part of who I am, and I tell people I meet right up front, so they can decide whether they want to continue to get to know me. Some don't. Some are good with it. The less-educated among them (although I was acquainted with a family practice physician who was completely ignorant about depression, and I wound up telling her to go do something physiologically impossible to herself ;-) are afraid that it's contagious. You know -- one person in a bad mood can ruin a whole gathering, and we're in perpetual bad moods, LOL.

But sometimes you find people who want to know, and are interested, and care. I told my current boss about my depression shortly into my employment there. She said, "I've never experienced depression, or known anyone with it. Would you help me learn?" She's such a pro now that she keeps track of all my meds and asks questions when they get changed! She makes sure to ask me how every appointment with my psychiatrist goes. I tell her in general terms how things are in therapy, and why I might seem more stressed out at different points.

I admit, she's an exception -- but those exceptions DO exist. I guess I'd say to learn to cut your losses a little sooner. I talked to that family practice doc (it was a dating-type situation) less than 2 weeks before she got all ignorant on me and I told her to go f* off. People usually make it pretty clear pretty quickly when they aren't worth your time and trouble.

Hang in there...

Candy