[jesusplay]

I don't want to say I'm bipolar or that I'm "mentally ill", I know know what to call it. Any help?

When I'm asked about my weight gain I will say it's partly due to medication.

Should I just say I'm suffering from a personal illness?

[Victoria'smom]

Well what medicine are you on?

[wiretwister]

I tell people I am depressed and on meds for that,,, they don't need to know anymore,, that's my story and i'm sticking to it...

[Crazy Hitch]

It depends on "who" you want to tell in your family.

A spouse - straight out as it is.

Someone like cousins - meh - it's none of their business.

Just my opinion.

[Justugh]

tell
mom dad brothers sisters ......like hooligan said husband/wife needs to know
those ppl should know since they would be the ones contacted in times of distress or u get hit by a car .........plus having them in the loop helps make it easier when u are off track

the rest of them ........tell them what ever u like as for weight gain say getting old and winter months (if a bunch of weight seeing a doctor about it but not under control yet nothing bad some gland out of wack have to ask them the name get back to yah )

just rem the bigger the lie the more it takes to keep going .......deflect the ?s ....answer truthfully but leaving out factors do not want to share.....finally this is little tricky word play .........tell them with the correct set of wording that has 2 meanings one that is the truth one that they will jump on and think it is (doing this u are not doing anything horribly bad just not correcting a misleading thought )

u sleep like a baby knowing u did not break your morals or codes ..........someone might be smart and figure it out with time when they do lvl with them and ask to keep it to themself because the stigma / u do not want ppl treating u different

[~Christina]

Have any of these ideas helped you in making a decision?

[tipper1492]

I lean toward saying I am depressed. Only maybe say I'm on medication/s. I do not tell anyone I am BP. Not worth it and most of the public have a stigma about mental illness. I wouldn't tell mom (she passed away maybe 10 yes ago) unless for some reason I needed to. If I did, I would expect her not to take it too well, and ask me what's wrong with you? Probably couldn't explain it to her satisfaction anyway.

I see no reason to tell in case you go into a hospital for an injury, but unsure about a mental breakdown. I'd guess family would find out soon after anyway. Then just maybe it would be better for the "doctor" to explain it to them anyway.

For weight gain? I'd go with what ever Dr. Abby advised.

[jesusplay]

I just avoided the topic/ changed the subject.

Everyone said I was talking weirdly and acting different like a different person.

My old best friend I started talking to again after 3 years also said the same thing this year.

[Crazy Hitch]

Try not to worry too too much about what others think if they see symptoms of an episode.

I know I tend to at times but at other times I go to the opposite extreme with the I am who I am and I'm not going to apologise.

Just a simple statement like I'm sorry I wasn't feeling myself but I'm working on it.

Many ways to explain it without giving away the diagnosis.

But it's such a personal choice, which ever you decide to do.

[Homeira]

Some of my closest family members did not take it too well when I told them I was BP. And it was not to be talked about. It has taken my family a long time to accept that we have a strong genetic BP tendency, even with three generations of MI/BP in the family. Two to three in every generation. ( I have a big family, as well as a large extended family). It has caused me a lot of pain to deal with this. So my advice is to seriously consider what if your family does not respond well to this news. Prepare yourself mentally for a reaction from them that might be less than understanding. But I still think you should tell them. But maybe not everyone in the family. As for how? I just told them that I am bi-polar II. Some asked questions and some did not. The ones that asked me questions are the ones I feel I can trust in case something happens to me, because they at least have a rough knowledge of what is going on whith me. Keep it simple. Maybe advise them to take a look at some web-sites about BP? There is some information out there written from the perspective of familiy- members of people with BP, maybe asking them to take a look at some of them might be an idea?