Family doesn't get it!

I have just recently been diagnosed with MANIC DEPRESSION ,BI-POLAR and agoraphobia and I have yet to see a psychiatrist, still getting that set up with my therapist. But I still have family members that think I can still function...I can not. I'm off the walls and they still want me to continue doing things as before, and before I did not function well either...I would put on a happy face and move forward without looking left or right as I went through my day, so I use to babysit for my nieces which I love dearly, but I have since then stopped because of the depression I never knew from day to day if I was going to even get out of bed left alone listen to a 1 year old and a 2 year old fight...now my mother comes to me and says I NEED YOU TO WATCH THE GIRLS 1 day a month...well what I'm asking ..Is it to much that I say NO...not at this time??..Am I wrong??.. I feel so messed up inside I don't know which way is up!...Please HELP!!!...I don't want to hurt her feelings but I am a mess!!!:

I am not sure who diagnosed you if you are yet to see a psychiatrist. It is not the kind of a diagnosis that is normally made by therapists alone. Also, manic depression and bipolar are the same thing. Manic depression is the old term, and bipolar is the new term. Since you did not know that, it appears that your diagnosis is brand new (well you said so), and that whoever made the diagnosis did nothing to educate you (since you are confused and think of them as two separate things). So the first thing you need is a good treatment provider who would educate you better and diagnose you with better precision, especially since given your young age, diagnosing bipolar is not straightforward.

To the mom: do not tell her NO. Tell her that you would love to help but it would be dangerous to leave two young girls in your care when your mood is so unstable. tell her that you hope to get better with treatment and therapy and will let her know when you are able to resume watching the girls, and, that it is your goal to get better and resume babysitting your nieces.

This way you won't hurt her feelings.

hamster-bamster had some good advice. It is hard for us that suffer from mental illness to understand it. It is certainly hard for family to get the idea. We tend to hide the worst of our symptoms from our family, so they think we are fine. Definitely be honest with your mom about how you are feeling. Hopefully, she will understand. Also, check out the bipolar forum to get more information and ask questions if you want. Glad you found PC it's a great place to come and talk about your issues, especially, the ones that other folks just don't understand.
Gayle

.well it was my medical Dr. that gave me those results and said that she was turning it over to the mental illness facility that I go to....she even called my therapist and asked her what in the world is taking her so long in getting me to a physic Dr. still have heard nothing from her, they told me at the medical Dr. that the therapist was suppose to get a hold of me.