BPP, I don't really know you all that well, but I am sorry you feel uncomfortable. I hope this feeling can be alleviated through good interactions with the non-bp in this group.

My experience is that everyone is an individual - I can't trust or distrust someone just based on whether they are bp. Everyone has a right to be here but we need to all be considerate and respectful, and treat each other as we would like to be treated.

Here we go with this again.....okay, my two cents.
This is a "SOCIAL NETWORKING SITE"
It is for anyone and everyone......that's why it's free to join.
There is nothing in my profile or anyone else's that can't be faked or misleading.........This is a group for Bipolar Disorder. It doesn't say you have to suffer from it to join.....I personally have many friends on THIS site that do not have biplar disorder......should I then not have normal friends?? Ever hear of the blind leading the blind?
It's not a good idea for us to recieve our information and help from the same people that are going through the same things.......at least not all the time......In order to get the best help, you must be ready to recieve it from ANYONE, as long as it's the right thing for you...........There have always been non-beepers in this group, and nothing is going to change that.....If you want privacy, the internet is NOT the place to get it

I appreciate anything people do to understand more about mental illness, that's one less person to get caught up in the stigma. I myself belong to diabetes type 1 forum because the love of my life is a diabetic. I want to understand more and support him. Everyone there is very supportive and happy to share their experiences.

i havent read all the replies to this post.
this seems to be a running theme at the moment,
i think we need to embrace our normies,
how can we be understood if we do not communicate with them and learn to help each other?
why is everyone so defensive?

f and f can be negative, i have had a few non beepers telll me they are not comfortable on that board and would rather post here for information from people who actually know what it is like to suffer with bp..so is that really a bad thing?
we complain that people do not understand, yet when they try to, we dismiss them.

so does my last reply make sense???
i think it makes perfect sense personally :)

I think without reading my entire post, most people know what I'm going to say. I hate normies. Sorry if that hurts your feelings, but I'm an old guy, and I've been shat upon by normies one too many times.

If a normy wants to know more about BP and us, let them read. Read but don't post. If I want to know what a normy thinks, I go to their forum. I read their F&F forum sometimes to see what they are up to, but most of the time I stay off because their whining, complaining and general negativity tends to trigger me.

THIS IS OUR SAFE PLACE! I may tolerate a post by a normy who says something supportive or informational, but in the past, there have been losers who come in here and rant about beepers in their life. I already know plenty about what I can do to hurt my loved ones. I don't need to come to MY SAFE PLACE and get triggered by some bullshit whining of some damn inconsiderate normy.

Last but way way way not least, to anyone who criticized BipolarPrincess for her opinion, fuck you ... you're wrong.

BipolarPrincess, don't worry I use to be of the same opinion.

But we shouldn't exclude them (the normies) based on there mental status, like we shouldn't, its more of a person thing.

As I said before tho, a bad apple can spoil a bunch, and we are not excluded from theat.

one more thing ... if in this thread, you criticized Bipolar Princess, and you have me on your friends list, please consider removing me from said list, because we're always going to wind up butting heads over this issue.

Lol so someone cant disagree with her opinion without having to be requsted to not speak to you ever again. How closed minded.

Normies are assholes sometimes and guess what so are Bp'ers.

Get over it.

I disgree strongly with BPP's opinion because its rediculous. Are you guys aware this is an anonymous website? Are you aware that almost anyone here claiming to be BP could by LYING? Are you aware that if you surround yourself with mentally ill people and nothing else you will only ever become more ill.

You need normies. And they NEED to understand us. As has been mentioned before .... the only way to start getting rid of the stigma you all hate so much is to share and inform people. Which makes me laugh because the majority of people here dont share. They dont tell their friends and colleagues. Which is fine but then on the same score dont expect them to EVER understand because you're not giving them the chance.


I tell everyone who asks that I AM BP! I am NOT ashamed and I feel itt is my right and responsability to share y experiences and educate people around me about this illness for my benefit, for theirs and ... shock horror for yours.

So let them come here. Let them ask questions. Let them bring a new perspective and stop acting elitist ( which by the way is part of the stigma about BPpeople.... that they are elitist among other mentally ill people) Learn to forgive and forget and grow.

I'm with choc on this one. How will our friends and family learn if we don't tell them how we feel? If we isolate ourselves from everyone except the bp community how will we ever lead a normal life?

I brought up the lying thing with choc in a chat conversation. Unless we all have to take some test to join then how do we know anyone is really bp or not? What's wrong with helping people who are thought to be bp but not diagnosed??

I understand what bpp is saying. When I want to deal with normies I just turn off my computer, they are all around me. I come here to chat with folks who understand me too. I didn't join this site to help educate friends and family. I joined for support from my peers. I don't mind normies hanging around, or even posting, because I know I can just ignore who I want or just turn off the puter for a while until whatever has passed over. I think we all should just agree to disagree. The fact is anyone can join, anyone can read, but you can decide what part DS can have in your life. I don't like when everyone is upset. blah......

Wowser! We seem to be fighting a lot here. Why? What is normal anyway? Certainly not you or I? So how can we judge others we don't even know in real life? It saddens me to see you all fighting over something that has no obvious solution other than tolerance.

then let them read our posts if they want to learn. Why do they have to trigger us with rants and complaints about their spouses? We post plenty of deep personal feeling for each other to read, because THIS IS OUR SAFE PLACE. This is my group therapy. When I moved to KY from NH I lost group. There are no groups here in this state outside of the hospital, and those are only open to in patient. The closest public ones are in TN and OH. Just as I never expected to see a normy in group when I went to one, I don't expect to see a normy here.

No groups in my area either. At least in group you can see people eye to eye, here, well, avatars are deciving. I don't understand what is so triggering here and this sounds so predudicial. Am I not seeing something here?