I've always been a little aggressive about my mental illness. I have no patience for people who might judge me purely based on my mental health.

Although looking at it a little differently I have had an advantage in dealing with this. As long as I have been alive my Dad has been severely affected by Bi Polar disorder. He is a published poet and is pretty well know in the community, also he works in the mental health system and is well known for that too.

My advice would be to start small. Maybe with a trusted friend. But with the family, it could be better to sit everyone down and tell them all at once. That way you don't have to go through it more than once.

If you do decide to tell them, I would say to try and keep it factual. It can help you keep your distance and not get emotional about it. Even having a printout about Bi Polar from the net may help clarify the disorder without playing to preconceptions and prejudices.

Gah, sorry for the small novel. Hope this helps.

Well who you share your mental illness info with is a touchy subject. I of course included my wife and she sometimes comes to my pdoc appointments when she thinks things are not quite right with my meds. I don't always know because I can't tell or see how I act.
I have not told my parents. I just tell them I have depression and take an antidepressant and a mood stablizer. That seems to satisfy them and they are very supportive. Now the big mistake that I made was telling my boss. I was going through a really bad depression and was missing work and working from home alot. I told him I had bipolar disorder and was experiencing a bad bout of depression.

He really didn't get it and I was down graded on my performance review for missing work and working at home. So you have to be careful who you tell. Some people are supportive and others just don't get it. I don't tell any of my friends or family members beyond my parents. Hope this helps you somewhat.

I would talk the person I trusted most in my family and then ask them how I should tell the rest of the family. I would focus on what I want to say rather than how they would react. If I wasn't ready, I'd just plain not do it. Then again, what are people really ready for in life? Ever? Diddly-squat lol :)

In the early going, speaking of it felt like an ongoing Greek Tradgedy. I was even envious of folks who suffered well defined problems like AIDS or missing limbs. At least they don't have to carry text books to explain it to the world.

I did lots of support groups with generous sprinklings of pro visits. After I gained comfort speaking of it the support groups with folks who were suffering similar ups and downs I was going through, it became easier and easier to speak of it casually with outsiders. I still get allot of dramatic reactions, but at least I am able to see it as little more than another human condition. Nature gives each of us a source of fertilizer.

Well for me personally, I only found out that I had BP about 6 months ago, and I'm 23, I found it difficult to accept initially and wanted to wait until I had reached a level of acceptance before I told anyone else about it.

I waited about 2 months until I told my family and close friends, there was mixed reactions; some were shocked, others weren't surprised, but despite the difference in reaction they all had one shared feeling and that was to support me as much as they all could..if I let them.

My family have actually been pretty amazing since I told them, they're understanding but also give me that sometimes-very-necessary kick up the ass when I don't want to leave my house for days on end.

I agree with DeathBD too, try to keep it factual and inform them that it is actually quite a common disorder.

I would recommend telling the person in your family that you trust the most and do it gradually,as I feel that if you do it all at once you may feel overwhelmed, but that's just how I would feel and why I did it one person at a time.

Bottom line - do it any way that actually feels comfortable for you, because everyone is different and we all like to do things differently. Just take it a step at a time.

Best wishes x

I know but i tend not to get replies on the teen board and i like the experience and knowledge the 'older' people here have.

Understand and encourage. We love your presence, Jellybean.

sorry i dont have any advice here... i have only told my husband ,son,mom,and sister,,thats it..i tryed once to tell a physical therapist who was working with me and that was a big mistake. he treated me like i had some sort of outcast... he became rude ..i left there right after that.. i will never share such personal info about myself again...