I've never been comfortable about my decisions of when to disclose that I have bipolar or SZA, when getting to know a new person I hope will be a friend one day.

I also don't know where the urge to disclose comes from entirely. One reason might be to protect myself from future rejection. It's easier to be rejected early on than once you've invested a lot in the relationship.

I'd like to hear how others decide and manage their feelings around this issue.

What I've done in the past is to disclose fairly early (after the 3rd or 4th meeting round about) that I have depression and then later to mention bipolar.

Not sure how I feel about that either.