Letting the Family In

How I feel sometimes when it comes to family..... Alone

So now I have an official diagnosis, a psychiatrist that I trust and some medication, which I will get into more about the medication cycles in another blog.  Now what?

Well, I told my husband (now ex) first, that went oh so well.  He was partially relived, but mostly he was embarrassed and did not want me telling any of our friends.  My brother was a riot, as always, and asked what the symptoms were so he could compare.  We self-diagnosed him ADHD, which is why I love my brother, we both can see the humor in any situation.  My aunt was super surprised, confused, worried, well, everything, but super supportive.  She asked a ton of questions, most of them I did not even know the answers too, so I had to research them and get back to her.  That is the extent of my relatives that know.  There is no reason my parents do not know, I just have not told them.  Some of my friends know, the good ones, you know that kind that you can call at two o'clock in the morning crying and they say they will be right there.  They laughed and said they have known for years, it's about time I figured it out.

So far, this may seem like fun and games, but I assure you that I understand the serious of this and use humor as a coping mechanism.  I cannot dwell on things, especially bad things, I have to roll my eyes, laugh at it and move on to the next step.

The stigma involving mental health is real, and even though I have not personally dealt with it yet, my aunt has encountered people spewing "facts" about what it is like to be bipolar, and how those diagnosed should all be locked up in a mental institution because they are all crazy and a danger to society.  She was flabbergasted, where I would have just rolled my eyes.

I am grateful to say that I have an amazing support group between friends, family, coworkers, and healthcare providers.  I see all of these memes and stuff on Facebook about how people went though hell and back alone and survived just fine, well good for them, but I promise you, you do not have too!!  Thinking about suicide just once, is once too many, knowing just one person that committed suicide is one too many...  Most counties have a Crisis program, that you can call at anytime of day or night and speak with a counselor.

There is also the National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 800-273-8255 or visit their website to learn more about helping out yourself or a friend.

Now that you know a little bit more about me, I hope you will want to come back and visit!!  Please feel free to follow me so you do not miss anything.

Danielle