I have to be selective and very careful about who I tell about my Bipolar diagnosis. The majority of people I’ve encountered are pretty cool about understanding it’s an illness. But some people can be ignorant. I’ve had people say,  “are you better now?”, “are you really Bipolar?”, “I think I’m Bipolar, too. I get really moody sometimes”, “I was depressed last Sunday.”, and (my personal favorite) “I know how you feel”.

Because I’m grounded in my understanding of others, I don’t let these comments get to me. It’s because they just don’t know. They aren’t educated about mental illness and the amount of work it takes to live with it.

This is why I’m careful about coming out about having Bipolar to others. When I am open about it, I make sure that I’m prepared to educate and answer any questions another might have. It’s important for me to be able to be open about my experience in living with Bipolar for this reason: So that people who don’t know about mental illness might see that it’s not about being crazy. It’s about a human being doing the best they can to live this life just like anybody else. And, I can only speak from my own experience.

There’s a lot of stigma around mental illness (not just Bipolar Disorder) that needs to change. I hope by being open about my story that I can play a role in ending that stigma around mental illness.

If you are living with mental illness and have experienced ignorance or crude comments, know you’re not alone. We need to stick together for change. Let’s keep educating others and sharing our experiences! Of course, always know that there’s also no shame in having boundaries to protect yourself and your mental health. It’s important to know when to hold back if you feel it’s going to be more harmful than helpful.

Sending love and light, Kel.