I came out to a friend today. I'm very close with this lady, and she knows of my alcoholism, anxiety, and anorexia as she's been by my side throughout the past year, which has been really bad. But despite all that, I'd never told her I'm bipolar.

I don't know why I thought this would be a big deal. She's very non-judgmental, and I trust her to keep things confidential. She has also confided in me about her own serious mental health issues. I guess I was afraid of the information getting out as we work in the same field (different offices, though), which doesn't really make sense because I do trust her.

I've been thinking about telling her for a few months, but I could never work up the nerve. Finally, I decided that I need more support, and she is the obvious choice as she's seen everything else I've been through. But I was so nervous!

She was very cool about it, as expected. She said she's very impressed with how well I've done in my career while contending with this. She said it makes sense now that she knows, but she wouldn't have guessed.

I still feel a little anxiety over it, but I think it was the right thing to do. We are very open with each other, and I'm relieved that I can now speak freely about this with her.

So I'm wondering...how open are you guys with other people about your bipolar disorder?