I am constantly told to stop using the term mental illness because I'm not mentally ill, just a little depressed & that doesn't count. Neither my family or partner believe bipolar at all, they still believe "real bipolar" means full blown psychotic mania. I can't blame them because before I was dx that's exactly what I thought & I'm a nurse!

So they think the meds make me worse & are unnecessary, they tell me I just need to figure out what kind of work would make me happy & I'll be fine. I point out the free floating anxiety, bouts of severe agitation & self harm with suicidal ideation, the auditory hallucinations, the bouts of apathetic depression where I just want sleep & barely speak. They say we all go through stuff like that, it's like I've managed to continue to achieve so there couldn't possibly be anything wrong. I had a 3 year crystal meth habit that my parents never noticed regardless of the fact that I still lived at home for half of that time & started looking like death. But I got a degree & brought a home. Anyway I'm off topic now, but I totally empathise, we have to continue to suffer with their misinformed well doing ********.