Thanks for bringing this topic up, and I know how annoying it can be to not be taken seriously. I feel my experience is often downplayed based on the fact that people often see the outside "high functioning" me and think I'm doing better than I really am. I have a career, although sometimes I need to take breaks based on BP concerns. People praise me for the fact I was able to get a Master's degree.

However, the pain that I feel and the way Bipolar has affected me in other aspects of my life (and my emotional health) has been devastating to me. Sometimes I wish others around me would take time to get the real me--the whole me, instead of just assuming I'm doing so well when really inside, they would see that I'm barely holding on and not as stable one might think, although meds contributed a lot when it comes to being able to accomplish certain goals. I understand most people mean well and try to point out my strengths as motivators, but sometimes I'm left feeling invalidated, misunderstood, and alone. I'm thankful for people seeing the good things, but I'm just being honest about the other side to it that sometimes bothers me.