I'm very lucky in that my family is and always has been very supportive. I first got hospitalized when I was 14 and have been hospitalized an embarrassing number of times so there's really no hiding it. Plus I'm covered in self harm scars that I can hide during the winter but not in the summer so they've all seen those. My mom especially is very supportive. Even though I know she thinks if I just accepted Jesus into my life I would feel a whole lot better, she doesn't push it on me. She's only mentioned it a couple of times.

I don't really have a lot of friends. Those I do have do know about BP and support me with it. But I mostly don't talk about it. I don't reach out to people when I'm having an episode, or if I do I pretend it's just because I want to hang out, not because I need to not be alone.

At work only I've only told three people the full truth. My social worker that was in my room the first year, the social worker In my room now, and my teacher friend who shared with me about his severe depression first so I figured it was ok. I've told my principal that I suffer from depression because I have been out for hospitalizations and extended leaves. I won't say bipolar. I did that with my summer job and was suddenly not invited back for the next summer, even though I'd been there five years. I wrongly thought he would support me and he pretended to until it came time to rehire. So I learned my lesson.