Friends and open Conversations

One of the things I have learned since I was first told that I may have Bi-Polar is that when I meet others who have either been diagnosed as Bi-Polar or I suspect that they are Bi-Polar is that there is almost a kindred spirit type relationship. I have found some really good relationship with others who have Bi-Polar, as well as some great relationships with others who have been affected by various types of mental illness.

Now first let me say that Bi-Polar is not a Mental Illness, and there are some who really have no idea as to what they are talking about who will say, but wait a minute, I have always been told that Bi-Polar is a Mental illness and those who suffer are mentally ill, but the truth of the matter is that Bi-Polar is much like diabetes in that is has to do with chemicals in your body. There are many in the Medical community who know this and there are a few who don't, but if you ask the ones who have been treating those who have it they will tell you what I am telling you here.

Now with out going into all of the details of the illness itself, (If you want that just do a google search and look for it on Wikipedia, you will find some good information regarding the illness. My point here is to point out the benefits of some of the relationships that I have been lucky enough to have developed since I was first diagnosed.) With all of the above being said, I can and will say that I have developed some just amazing friendships since I was first diagnosed, and they are based on my being diagnosed as Bi-Polar. There is a strange element of trust that comes when you meet someone who also has the illness. The doors are open and you can really get to know the person who suffers from the illness, and of course this is assuming that they are doing what they can to try and get better, as trying to talk with someone who suffers from the illness and they are not getting any treatment can be very difficult. They bounce around like a jumping bean and are very difficult to engage in any type of conversation.

But as time goes by and you get to know someone who has one of the elements of Bi-Polar and they are under the treatment f a Dr. the conversations can and usually are quite wonderful. The Walls have been torn down and the openness is there for two people to really get to know one another. I can think of at least two of my friends who are suffering from Bi-Polar and our friend ship is very strong because you not only know that the walls are tore down but you know that the person you are talking with are generally open and good people that you can trust. Not only can you trust them but you find that the conversations usually take a different course then if you were just two “Friends” talking about any given subject. It seems that in a normal conversation there is always that wall where you have to be careful not to touch, but with a fellow Bi-Polar you don’t have to worry about that and you can just talk about anything you feel like and for some reason the other person will just open up to you like you were an old friend. One would think that this would not be the case as when one suffers from an illness they tend to hide away and not share much information about them self, but for some reason Bi-Polar people are just open in general and will talk about any given subject. This can and does make for some wonderful conversations. I am lucky to be part of that group, and feel that my friendship circle has opened up to a whole new circle and my friends are among a much larger group.

I will continue with more on this subject tomorrow, I just wanted to get it off the top of my head, and remember if there id any subject you feel you would feel open to discussing, please drop me a note and I am sure we can talk about it, or even if you have a question