Bipolar Disorder & Honesty

Keeping No Secrets

As you ease back into your life inevitably you'll start to run into people who don't know that you've been diagnosed with the disorder and are on medication to treat it. For some people this is a very touchy subject, something of great stress and discomfort.

Should you tell this person or not?

Some people will only tell the people who they see and hang out with all the time. This  to them is their closest friends and family. Keeping the information enclosed within a tight group of trusted individuals. People they care about. People who care about them. People they feel comfortable with. Individuals who probably came by and visited them within the hospital.

For me I did the opposite, I pretty much told everyone.

I didn't stand there like the town crier screaming this information to all the people in the public square. But I did have honest, heartfelt conversations with the people I knew and met in my daily affairs.

I didn't want to keep secrets. I didn't want to feel embarresed. I didn't want to feel ashamed about what had happened. I didn't want to feel like there was two different worlds that I lived in. A dualistic way of life philosophy wasn't something that I was interested in thank you very much.

I found that by approaching my illness this way helped in my healing process. I had nothing to hide or feel bad about and that's always a good thing.

In my discussions with people about me and the illness I found a strange thing happening. I felt strong and empowered. But this wasn't the most interesting that I found. I've probably talked to countless hundreds of people about the illness and my history with it. And undoubtedly the people who I talked to about it had a family member or friend who had been diagnosed with the illness. They all had questions, they all had concerns, they all had fear.

I found that my honesty liberated them and helped them heal. I saw that any scarring they might have, slowly disappeared right before my eyes. And I helped them reconcile within their mind a world where their loved one could function normally, and live healthily on and off medication.

So again this is a touchy subject. Follow your heart and do what works best for you.