How do you deal with bipolar discrimination?!

How do you deal with bipolar discrimination?

Is there anyone out there who is bipolar that has encountered people who changed their attitude about you when they found out you had the disorder? How do you deal with those people who believe you are no longer a productive member of society, and how do you deal with the self-esteem issues that are associated with that? "Just don't worry about them" is easier said than done. I only recently found out I have the illness, and I'm shocked at the number of educated (?) people who act as though this illness turns a person into a literal nutcase. Anyone have anything to share?

Even though you're probably tempted to share it with many people in your life, sometimes it's just best left unsaid...especially in the workplace. Sure, there are laws against discrimination for mental illness...but I know from personal experience that if an employer or coworkers find out, it is highly possible that they will begin looking for "reasons" to let you go if they think your ability to work will be at all affected by your illness. I work full time and I'm in graduate school, and I basically try to keep it away from those two areas of my life. It's sad that we have to live this way, but at this time society still does not accept the fact that people like us can live normal lives. Tell a couple of close friends or family members that you really trust, so that if an emergency occurs someone will be able to help...because you don't need to go through this alone. But other than that, I've found over the years that there's really no point in sharing with the rest of the world. My best advice is probably this: it will take a while for you to become comfortable with your diagnosis, but do not let this disease define who you are. It's a significant part of your life, but try to get to a point at which you can look at yourself in the mirror and not automatically think, "My name is ***** and I'm bipolar." If you can come to terms with your condition and not allow it to define you completely, you'll probably not feel such a strong need to tell others about it.