Hiding my illness, can actually exacerbate my condition, much with anything else.

Imagine keeping all those thoughts to yourslef, it would send you nuts surely.

BTW don't think its dangerous lol

I think everyone has a little crazyness goin on some just know how to hide it! For some of us it's just to late we already let the crazy out and we shouldn't be ashamed!

Being crazy is great for giving excuses for your bipolar mistake.

((hugs)) heretic. I hope you don't *isolate* too much. Its not good for you or your illness. Good Luck and take care.

Most of my family knows I am bipolar, Many of my friends know I am bipolar.Some of the people I worked with knew I was bipolar.

For the most part I found tolerance and understanding, even caring and encouragement when I was down.

Only once in a while do I feel the "pinch" from a society that doesn't accept mental illness

I guess I'm lucky, but I'm also pretty stable, so most people wouldn't even guess that I suffer from terrible anxiety and BP

It can be just as bad, even when no one else knows about it!! Sometimes, I'm inside my very own, little torture chamber!!!! No one knows I'm here but me!!!! And it still causes problems!!!

When I do tell people I'm Bipolar, I just present it as though it were any benign fact about me and they always seem to accept me that way!!!! (What they think inwardly may be very different, but they keep any negative reactions to themselves and that's all I ask!!!)

If you isolate so much how do so many people know about it?
Most people I know know about my bp & they are supportive.The ones who know & haven't been supportive have been cut out of my life, as I don't need/want people in close proximity to me who don't respect me. People who don't know will probabally figure there is something not quite right at times but most of them are too polite to comment.

Heretic I think you are looking at this all wrong

It's not you that's crazy its every one else. You are the only sane one in the world it's the rest of the world that's messed up.

And I personally don't tell people about my illness. It's none of there business as far as I'm concerned. Unless there's a valid reason to tell them I don't.

It's like when I was a kid I use to tell every one I met about my ADD. It was such a turn off to so many people. The reason is because they don't understand it and to them it's coming of as an excuse.

Besides it's always been my opinion that us "crazy" people are way more fun to hang out with. We have more flavor and personality. If every one was normal it'd be so boring. I don't want normal friends I purposely look for people who are different.

So don't let those "normal" people get you down. They probably aren't really normal any how. I don't know many "normal" people. They all look bat shit crazy to me.