[kelseylouyork]

I have recently been diagnosed with bp2 and I am absolutely terrified. I'm nursing student and I'm worried that if people find out then they will judge me on it.
I'm just over all really scared about this and I'm looking for some support

[It's Not Important]

Some people will, unfortunately. But you don't have to tell everyone, just people you trust and are close to.

[pirilin]

You don't need to tell. First thing I asked my Pdoc.
His reply: "I won't tell, you won't tell, who's gonna know.".
I've never told anybody. Why should you.
People are always looking how to make a mountain out of a mowhill.

[fishin fool]

No need to tell. Just tell those you know and trust.
We are all scared at first. It will take some time but
you will relax and come to terms with it.

In real life, there are only 3 people who know I'm bipolar: my pdoc, my therapist, and my regular doc. That's it. I haven't even told my family because they're ignorant people when it comes to mental illnesses.

Who you choose to tell is completely up to you. You can still maintain your friendships, job, school life, etc. without having to tell anyone.

When I was in grad school, I think my lab professor suspected something was wrong with me, but she never said anything to me about it and I didn't say anything to her either. She kinda brushed it aside. Other people in my research lab accused me of having ADHD and other things. I just told them "I don't have it" and that was the end of it. (I think what they witnessed was hypo/mania.) So while it's true that you can't stop people from suspecting things, that doesn't mean you have to tell them anything.

[SingDanceRunLife]

You don't have to tell anyone you don't want to know. When I was first diagnosed, I told almost no one. Now pretty much everyone knows because that's the decision I feel is right for me (though I still don't tell ANYONE at work, ever). It's really a personal choice. *Hugs* and good luck!

[Takeshi]

Welcome and I personally think that you probably don't wanna tell that to anybody at this stage, since you're newly diagnosed and you're being scared of the diagnosis. The diagnosis should be helping you to understand about yourself instead, by understanding what it is about, what sort of treatment options there are, and how much is it gonna cost? etc... Some informations about the diagnosis quite honestly should scare you to some degrees, the truth is not so clearcut until you get the sufficient evidence to believe in what has been said/presented to you.

In the mean time, you could try to relax. (the truth have no guarantee for the relaxed time, we need to work for it sometimes, like meditations, soothing music, exercise, proper sleeping schedule which I don't care much for, my point is, doctors don't have the time to tell you everything, you get the knowledge for yourself with the support from members from here or elsewhere, and people come here from all walks of life, please don't forget to take a look around at all other parts of this forum and I hope you find something interesting there as well.)

Knowledge is the power, gaining it and the understanding it may take some time. Best wishes to you for your study and staying you.

[boogiesmash]

Originally Posted by kelseylouyork

I have recently been diagnosed with bp2 and I am absolutely terrified. I'm nursing student and I'm worried that if people find out then they will judge me on it.
I'm just over all really scared about this and I'm looking for some support

"Last time I checked other people's opinion didn't pay the bills."

Don't be terrified be also don't feel that you need to disclose your diagnosis. It is none of heir business. An yes people will judge you but f them. It's why you think about yourself that matters.

[boogiesmash]

Originally Posted by boogiesmash

"Last time I checked other people's opinion didn't pay the bills."

Don't be terrified be also don't feel that you need to disclose your diagnosis. It is none of heir business. An yes people will judge you but f them. It's why you think about yourself that matters.

Sometimes u need to heed my advice. I have social anxiety from what I think others are thinking.

[BipolaRNurse]

As a 'retired' nurse, I highly recommend that you never divulge your illness to anyone at work, because medical people are some of the most judgmental human beings on the planet. I wish I was kidding. I got burned badly when I was first diagnosed because I couldn't keep my yap shut, and disclosed it to a couple of co-workers and then my boss because I was manic at the time and couldn't hide it. Funnily enough, I found myself out of work within months.

It happened again with my next job when I couldn't focus on passing meds or paperwork, and asked for some time off to get things under control. I would've thought that it was better for me to keep my patients safe than to try and push through it all, but no...my hours were cut back severely and I wound up quitting. Finally I realized that I really couldn't be a nurse anymore and I gave it up entirely. But that was about 20 years in and I was pretty much over it anyway.

This doesn't mean you can't be a nurse with bipolar disorder. But it does mean that you have to be faithful to your treatment plan and keep your illness under control, because there are a hell of a lot of people in healthcare who will think less of you if they know. I wish you the very best in your endeavors.