Family is always a mixed bag, especially when it comes to bipolar because there's no "proof" anyone is bipolar. There's no lab test or pathology we can see. So I have come to accept that some people won't get it. I have been reserved with my diagnosis but at the same time, haven't hid it from the people I love.

But family is always a mixed bag with everything else too, right down to what kind of pizza you should eat!

I told my brothers and sisters and they have been great. They've known me for 45 years and always knew I was a bit "off". Some spouses, however, haven't been as willing to understand. My brother in law, who drives a truck, told me to "man up" and "drink more beer" to relax. That's OK, the journey we take won't be perfect. I'd like him to understand but he probably never will. He's a good father and husband so I see a lot of positives in him. A few others look at me as a nut or a bit of an oddball. That's OK too, it's who I am. I just work on living in the moment and I try not to project my thoughts into the future or into a scenario I make up. That's where I get myself in trouble.

My family has a history of mental illness but my mother never acknowledged it until recently. She is probably an undiagnosed bipolar herself, hundreds of angry outbursts as I grew up. Maybe thousands. I'm not sure of your age, but my parents grew up in the 50s and that was a time when people didn't discuss mental illness or show weakness because many were doomed to a lifetime of confinement or very heavy medication. That's how society handled mental illness back then.

But in an odd way, my parents knew something was wrong with me for years and were relieved when I went to get help. So don't be down about it - things may always be good and bad when it comes to family and friends. The stigma may never go away but we can't change that.