I couldn't think of a single thing to contribute here. I haven't told too many people beyond my very immediate family. Just a few friends and my neighbor. Oddly, no one asked me even one question these past 15+ years. My sister has a bipolar dx, and so did my youngest nephew. They and their closest family members did their own research, except maybe my dad who never even wanted to ask. No one other than my husband ever visited me during any of my 10 hospitalizations, even though most live within a 35 min max drive. I visited my youngest nephew during some of his. After pressing him and expressing disappointment, my father finally confessed to being scared. His mother had bipolar disorder. It was stressful for him during her worst years.

People never sent me cards or anything during my hospitalizations. They probably would have if I had had a heart attack or other non-psych hospitalization. When I returned to work various times after prolonged absences, no one said a solitary word. They all knew they were psychiatric hospitalizations. Even my best friend said little. I talked about it, but she posed few questions. Even though my husband did tons of research and gave me lots of love and support, he rarely asked questions. He knew enough. I'd ask about my behavior during psychosis (many were manic blackouts). He refused to talk about it.

My husband did send me flowers and made sweet cards and collages for me while I was hospitalized. Only him.