there are a lot of people in my life I have not told, mostly because I don't spend much time with them usually because of distance. the other being if they are not really that close to me, more acquaintances. but if I do talk to a friend and they are open about some of their issues like anxiety and depression, I will commiserate in that capacity and sometimes offer solutions that have worked for me. and if we get to a point where I feel comfortable and they have been around me enough that I fell thy are comfortable around me, I will eventually work it into the conversation that I do in fact have bipolar. it has never been a put off from anyone. mostly because I am stable, I am a kind person who is very helpful and personable so I have given no one reason to think I am about to go off the deep end at any moment. which I never have really. I have gone into some absolutely dark and oppressive depressions but at those times the people who witnessed them were my immediate family and my drs. for the most part I can fake it til I make it. I work very closely with my drs as well to keep things as short as possible. we head them off early and work to make sure they don't last a long time. It's still very hard.
I do remember at one time, when I was having a really hard time and seeing all those happy faces on facebook and I so wanted to shout out to everyone that there are some of us who are struggling, that I was struggling. what keeps me from that is that my kids are on there as well, and I would not do anything that I thought would embarass them. but I did feel like I was living a lie. the only person I have told who I have somewhat of a bf/gf relationship with is someone i met here on psych central so there is no point in hiding who I am. he already knows. and if I do joke with him about being 'crazy', he points out that I am not crazy...I am moody. I've been through a lot of things with my bipolar, many are not things I am proud of. so I do watch and am cautious about who I disclose to. I feel pretty good about my ability to read certain people and discern whether or not they are safe to open up to.