How a Bipolar Patient Learned to Manage Mania

Bipolar disorder ran in her family, but she didn't know it
The genetic component of bipolar is something that I cannot control. And like many families, I didn't even know that mental illness was in my family until much later in life. A few years ago, a genealogist contacted me while he was researching my family for another individual. He told me that my great-grandmother had killed herself and that she likely suffered from some mental illness. This came as a complete shock to me, and I'm certain that my father (he passed away years ago) didn't know about this either. Knowing this information about a relative—although tragic—somehow helped me understand and accept my condition a little more. It also reminded me of the importance of managing my condition.

My family didn't talk about my great-grandmother's illness, but they were the only ones who knew about my mental illness for a long time. The privacy was comforting, but it also limited my social support network. That changed when I was in my 30s. I started to branch out socially. I discovered that I loved ballroom dancing, and it became my favorite hobby. I traveled with a dancing tour group and we went as far as Australia. In addition to learning new steps, I made lasting friendships. And my closest friends know about my bipolar diagnosis. When I told them, more often than not, they would always respond by telling me they knew someone else in their family or network of friends who also had bipolar.