So, I wrote the following but decided to run it past my mom first. She FLIPPED! I decided to honor her wishes and not post it but I thought I'd share it here:

I am writing this to help face the truth and fight the stigma of mental illness. I know my mother will cringe right now as I am posting this. She thinks it is imperative that I don't "out" myself for many obvious reasons. But, it is obvious that I have some mental issues as I frequently post about it. I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at age 15 with classic symptoms. By my early 20's, I became so well that I believed God had healed me. I married my husband in 2005 and we were very much in love. I was healthy, stable, and very "together" as it seemed at that time. I was a stay at home mom, keeping up with the house, and even homeschooling my young children. We spent portions of our day reading the Bible and praying and we had a very healthy relationship and I was on top of my game. However, 4 years ago I had a break. I won't go into deatails as that is where the fear will come in. But, let me tell you, I was still very high functioning and would NEVER hurt another person. In fact, it is GREATLY more likely for a mentally ill person to be atacked than it is for them to hurt another. Those with bipolar disorder and other serious mental illnesses are portrayed much more violently than they are in reality. The danger of those who are mentally ill is the first thing pointed out in the media. The truth is, the sufferers of mental illness are your next door neighbors, your senators, your superstars. And, mostly they suffer in silence because of the stigma.

Anyway, after an explosive mania, I suffered a crippling depression. In fact, I have been very unstable since those 4 years ago in various forms (again...with no chance of hurting a soul). My husband coped with it as long as he could. He tried to be understanding and kind but he never understood my illness. After a few years, he became cold to me and became fed up with my illness and my "love affair of the couch." I had little to rebut other than my belief in God and who HE says I am. So here I am, with my husband about to leave all because of this illness.

Bipolar disorder is very hard to understand unless you experience it but it can certainly have a major impact on those you love and those who love you. Luckily, I have an AMAZING support system that I know will help me through any and everything. Unfortunately, statistically, there is a NINETY percent divorce rate among those whose spouse has bipolar. It is very hard to walk through this illness but I have much in my favor and I have a belief (most days) that I will be better again.