I think you hit the nail on the head here, Lmo. But as someone who is also highly sensitive, I think I detect a perjorative in your post. And as a highly sensitive person, it touches a nerve in me. Being sensitive is neither a characher failing nor a weakness. It's actually a gift. But being highly sensitive does cause folks like us to react to things differently and more intensely than those who are not highly sensitive. Thus, we often get told we are "making mountains out of molehills. Well, they ARE molehills to us. And telling us they are not does not feel helpful and does not validate what we are feeling inside.

I've seen lots of supportive posts to AG. Um, I'm not sure I would count your recent post as one of them. You sound quite frustrated. Perhaps some of the difficulty you feel in trying to help is difficulty in understanding her high sensitivity? I can tell you from my own experience, it's not something that's going to toughen up. It's actually a gift in many ways. In AG, it's what allows her to be able to reach out to others in empathy and kindness. But it comes with a price of feeling things quite intensely. I am not bipolar, but I would imagine if you combine bipolar with being highly sensitive, it would make for some rather intense mood swings. Imagine if you went around life with an acute sunburn, and everyone wanted to hug you? You'd be a bit touchy, woudn't you?