Rather sweetly, I thought, my manager referred to my openness in his summary letter, thanking me and saying that he really appreciated my willingness to discuss my illness.
I have always been open about my conditions. It is what makes me, me and I am not ashamed of it. I have always known there was something 'wrong' with me, so to have the diagnosis and validation was more of a relief!
When I was a teenager, my parents would say I was "manic depressive" and "just like your aunt / grandmother". But of course in the early 80s there was no Internet to look things up and mental health wasn't discussed. My father's distrust of psychiatrists meant that I never saw a doctor. Later on I attempted to self medicate as many others do. I was treated for my depressive episodes with anti depressants, but my manic episodes were never 'reported' since I was having too much fun! It wasn't until Stephen Fry 'came out' as bipolar that I started to investigate the illness and found myself resonating with the description. Then, some 7 years ago now, I finally plucked up the courage to tell my doctor about the ups and downs. And the rest, as they say, is history.
There is no shame in having a mental quirk. Its part if what makes you an individual. And whilst it may debilitate you from time to time, it also is responsible for your openness to new ideas, your empathy and creativity. And that's pretty cool. How can we expect people not up be afraid or confused by our behaviour, if we are not willing to discuss it? If we want to be accepted, don't we need to accept ourselves?
