Hmm. My husband knows and is very supportive, including actively working to identify additional ways to assist and care for me when I need support. My kids know I have ups and downs and I'm honest with them when I feel like my behaviors or reactions around them stem my my BP, even though I haven't named it. I've talked about it much more in depth with my daughter because she's a bit older than my son. When she sees me getting stressed out, she finds ways to do something really caring for me or suggests I go lie down for 20-30 minutes while she makes a snack or something. It fills me with such gratitude for her, while also making me a bit nervous that she feels like she's needing to take care of me. But then, I think in general being able to recognize when others are overwhelmed (regardless of why) and offering to provide them a little love or peace to help is a pretty neat skill to develop - in general, I think she's a pretty empathetic kid. I hope I'm not screwing her up with this.

My mother knows and is supportive. I've told one brother, who felt bad that he hadn't 'been there' for me for a lot of our years. I haven't told my other brother. I think if it came up I might, but he has a pretty fixed idea that our brains are capable of incredible things if we just use them to the right ends. MI can be 'healed' by our brains alone if we just believe it and work towards it that way. He got injured/sick a couple of years ago and had his first experience with situational depression - I think after that he might be more open to the idea that MI isn't a 'choice'. But I'm not actively trying to test that theory.

I'm pretty sure my mother-in-law knows I've suffered from depression, but we've never really talked about it. She's supportive in theory, but it's often more harmful than not to discuss it with her because she doesn't have any personal experience with it and can say something that's triggering or dismissive without meaning to (i.e., with great intentions, but a little ignorant of the 'right' thing to say/do). I had a very open discussion this month with one of my sisters-in-law about having BP, and she was both incredibly supportive and very curious about my experiences, things that are helpful, etc. I spoke about my struggles in generalities with another sister-in-law while discussing her young daughter who is exhibiting some troubling behaviors. She was supportive, but mostly focused on her daughter and ways to help her.

So, in general, I would say that my family is supportive, or tries to be at least.