1) How comfortable are you expressing to others about your mental illness? Do you only do it as necessary? When do you deem it necessary? For example, when it's a significant other or a close friend?

I don't tell many people about my diagnosis. When I was first diagnosed, I told some close friends but I wish I wouldn't have (at least at that time). I think the hypomania drove me to tell them more than anything else and, looking back, I'm not sure I would have told some of the small group of people that I did if I had been in the right mindset.

2) Do you have a solid support system in place? (includes anything such as psychiatrist, therapist, close friends, family members, perhaps religious figures etc.)

My main support system consists of my counselor and psychiatrist. They are both fantastic about getting me in when I need it. Right now, I see my counselor about once a week which helps a lot, especially since I can't seem to remain stable for more than a couple of months before hypomania, depression, or a mix kicks in. The head pastor at my church knows as well. I chose to let him know what was going on after my symptoms interfered with my ability to go to the youth group event (a group I am in charge of running).

3) In terms of work accommodations, have you ever had to request them? If so, how honest, or upfront, where you about it ? Did you share everything they may need to know or just the pertinent details for that moment? If you have never had to ask for an accommodation or at least divulge some aspect to maintain/improve your work -- would you?

I have not had to ask for work accommodations but I'm not really sure how I haven't had to, and sometimes wonder if it will get to that point. No one at work knows about my diagnosis but there were times I was barely getting by at work. I especially get nervous about the 3 day, 2 night field trip I have to plan in the fall because the extreme stress I have throughout the planning process-and actually going on the trip-takes a big toll on my mental health. Last fall, I also wasn't the most stable when the trip occurred. I was really worried about getting some bad mania symptoms while I was out of town, leading this trip. I wish I could ask for someone else to run the trip, but it fell on my plate for the first time this school year because I became the only grade level teacher of the subject this trip is connected to...For me, I think the only way I would consider letting anyone at work know about my diagnosis is if I had to be hospitalized and, even then, I wouldn't really want to tell them. There are a couple of times I was worried things were going to get bad enough I was going to have to check myself into the hospital and, each of those times, I tried to think of how I could tell them I was in the hospital without saying what for but couldn't think of anything. If symptoms ever cause me to miss work (which hasn't happened yet, but I've come close), I'd just say I was sick and nothing more.