I'm open about my bipolar. I don't walk up to people and say, "Hi, I'm bipolar," but my family and friends know and if the subject comes up etc. I willingly will admit it. I'm not ashamed. I've had "wow," "I can't believe it,” “I can’t believe it,” and "lets just not talk about it," but never an "I won't talk to you" or “I'll avoid you” reaction. I'm still optimistic that someday the stigma will diminish or change and by being open I'm hoping that it will contribute to that change. It also helps to drop names of famous people who have been bipolar (try Lincoln or Buzz Aldrin), try and keep it light if you can, and if they seem afraid mention that statistically bipolar people are really only a danger to themselves (I know that there are those for whom this doesn’t hold true, but it is what the stats say and they don’t need to know more than that right?).