I'm 22 and have been diagnosed with bipolar (1) for several years. I honestly never truly really looked into it. I took my meds, saw therapists occasionally, on & off, and just tried to act like I was fine. I'm finally admitting this is real, if being hospitalized last year wasn't enough, I'm at the point where I'm realizing how I'm not going to truly be able to have any friendships, relationships, future family, etc, unless I really fix this. My mom let hers manifest for decades and now, at 52, she still has yet to fully admit her problems. I see her neglecting so many aspects of her life, so zoned-out and disorganized and not even paying attention to her own elementary-school aged children. I never wanted to be like her, so I never admitted I had what she had. Now I realize that to really get better, I have to. My significant other wants to be with me and has been through so many ups and downs, but is worried I'm never truly going to be stable, and am just going to end up like my mother. I'm scared of being abandoned, even though it hasn't actually happened, and I'm scared of not being able to live my dreams. I'm tired of pretending I'm okay, and acting like good enough is good enough. I see so many people who have been diagnosed for a long time, still struggling. Still not where they want to be. That scares me so much. I know I'll have to take medication/see therapists regularly/etc. for the rest of my life. That's okay. I just want to be able to truly stay stable and not have my life ruined by so many symptoms. Please someone give me hope that this can happen.