How does your family view your bipolar?

I guess I am lucky. My family accepted it and has tried to be supportive. It didnt come as much of a shock when I was dx at 27 considering I was first dx at 17 even tho I disregarded it this first time. I am sure given my behavior and psychosis it wasn't hard for them to see the big picture. My somewhat estranged father was also dx bipolar sometime after I was the first time, no big shock there either.

When I was hospitalized for mania and psychosis, it was hard for my mom to really accept, I think she still doesn't. And I know it was hard on my sisters, but for all the right reasons.

I am really sorry so many of you are struggling with your families like this. It's really quite saddening. And trust me even tho my mother accepts, she's very dysfunctional herself, so support is very disfunctional also.

Nonbf just thinks I'm lazy. My mother hates me and thinks I go to the psych per to one-up her in the miserable department. My dad -divorced from my mom since 93- tells me to promise him to take my meds. A friend stayed with me for 36 hours in PER. My sister called police on me and got me sent to the per for talking Sui. Another friend says if I'd just never see my mom again I'd be normal. otherwise, people generally think I'm making excuses for everything.

They don't know. I have two brothers who were diagnosed as BP. I was in treatment for bulimia and my parents were over it. It was embarrassing and disgusting and I needed to grow up. Yet, every thing my brothers do (fights in public, spending money, getting fired from jobs for temper) is all related to their bipolar. Neither are on meds and the only one who doesn't function is my oldest brother. I truly believe he is BP.

Don't get me started on my ILs...

WOW I am amazed at the general consensus here. It seems like most of us do not have a very good support system with our families. I am truely blessed to have support. It's horrible that some think were making it up or just get over yourself. If it were that easy, wouldn't we "just get over it"? Who wants to feel so miserable that they cry all day, don't get out of bed, and think of 100 ways to commit sui? Who wants to feel that horrible???

I wonder what would happen if you told your families you had some sort of cancer. Mental illness is just as lethal and something you can't control.

""""I wonder what would happen if you told your families you had some sort of cancer. Mental illness is just as lethal and something you can't control. """"

Sheba ... Very well put !

my folks treated me with kid gloves after a nervous breakdown, and for years all of my family was like, shu, shu, don't tell her, she cant handle anything. she is the sick one. she got sick for attention, (yeah right) spent more than five years in a locked psych. ward. now, my h talks down to me, what few friend's i have speak to me like i am a child. part of me wants to scream and explain i am different, but my actions seem to enforce over and over, yeah, she is sick...

((cin1)) People tend to treat me the same way, like I'm a little kid and my opinions don't matter, simply because I'm a quiet person. I'm sorry that you have to endure it, and that you had to spend 5+ years in a hospital.

My family has reacted pretty similarly to everyone else's. I don't really have a problem; everyone has mood swings so I should get over it; depression is just being sad; If I take meds I might have a horrible reaction that would shut down my organs, and that wouldn't be worth risking for a little problem like what my doctor and I are calling bipolar disorder...

Mom tries to understand, but she's scared to death of me (thought I intended to kill her a few times since being dx'd). Dad is heartbroken because he thinks I'll never be able to lead a normal life. Older brother doesn't know what to think. Younger brother in constantly concerned because his friend's father was also a bp alcoholic and became violent and abusive before they got him more help (the friend cried the day my bro told him of my dx)

Haven't told anyone in my family yet. I'm not sure how they would react. I think my mom's side would nod, smile, and mostly brush it off. I think my brother would take it seriously and ask smart questions, since he's a smart guy and has a little one to keep an eye on (these things run in the genes.) I think my dad and stepmom would take it seriously, but my dad would blame it on my (deceased) mom as he has already told me that he thinks she was bipolar. I didn't buy it, but after totally unrelated Thanksgiving conversations with my grandma and aunt, now I'm starting to wonder...

In any case, whenever I get around to telling them (maybe next year, maybe not) I think I'm only going to tell immediate family. I'm mostly concerned about the potential for other family members to have BP or something related, so I do want the close blood relations to know in case they ever have mental health issues. Eventually, anyway...

All my family says there's nothing wrong with me and that I shouldn't listen to what the doctors are saying. No support just denile

Sooo very much this. I sometimes play an imaginary conversation in my head, but can scarely imagine what convergence of factors it would take for it to actually happen. And truth be told, I'm quite sure I don't even want it to. She is very messed up (I'd have to say she has at the very least 3 dx-able things) and it would be a pointless exercise as denial runs very deep on her side of the family (the only relatives I was allowed to know after she kidnapped us when I was 3...'nother story). She is in her 70's. There's no "guess" in how that would go.

So, to your question. Nearly all of my relatives I have no contact whatsoever with.
***I do not speak with my mother any longer (I don't hate. Can't be bothered. The whole deal is just too toxic.), sooo, as I'm sure you already figured , she doesn't know.
***My dad (whom I finally reconnected with at 40, and speak with 2-3 times a year on the phone) I told (what could be the harm, right? Lol.) I wanted to quite some time before I did, because I just couldn't figure out how to work it into the conversation. He was cool about it...everyone's brain's wired differently etc. It's neither support nor non-support with our conversations so infrequent, you know?
***Finally, and to end on a good note, there is my sister. We reconnected (after 20 years) several years ago, thanks to being in therapy(!) I needed someone to verify that it really was like I remember it. It was. (She does have contact with relatives, and assures me nothing has changed but for those that have taken denial to the grave.) She is very different, as in, thoroughly "normal". She doesn't "get" it, but she accepts it and doesn't say anything mean. We IM usually once a week (3,000 miles away, so...). I really appreciate it, as it has come to a point where (besides BF) she is the only person I have anything even approaching regular contact with IRL.

Soooo.... pretty small test group(!), and sure, I skewed the data by excluding my mother, lol, but at least that allows me to not consider support as negative(!)