I was 22 and lived in a backward suburban town when I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. Since I had had a family member with BP, I took it rather well and within a week and a half after my week-long hospitalization, I was back doing what everybody in the town my age did- drinking at taverns and sports bars. The first time I went out, I saw a woman who had been in my “facility” at the same time I was- we both looked down at our tables, stayed with our respective friends and kept on drinking and I tried to forget about my own psychosis and her suicide attempt.

I hate to date myself (I really, really hate to date myself), but the Internet had already been invented (presumably by Al Gore, right?), but had not hit anyone in the mainstream yet. I tried out a support group- I can proudly admit that my doctor wanted me to be the unofficial “leader”, but found it lacking in support. One of the women who went there had it way worse than me- she had recently spent a terrifying 20 hours cowering under her bar in her basement while she watched everything turn into flesh.

None of my friends there knew anything about Bipolar Disorder, so it never became a topic of discussion. What we all had in common was that we were young, professional women who liked to drink beer. I had no one around to talk about Bipolar Disorder in a serious way as most of my friends were too busy laughing about the story of how I got hospitalized in the first place.

Now, things are different and with the advent of the Internet, personal blogs, and Facebook Groups, there are plenty of opportunities for me to express myself, see the amazing and incredible things that other people with Bipolar have done, and give and take support from people who truly understand what it’s like.

I’d like to take this chance to share with you some groups that I’ve found out about through Facebook, and would encourage you to visit their pages to see what they have done because it’s remarkable.

The Bipolar Babe organization is apparently kicking ass at raising awareness about  Bipolar Disorder and removing the stigma associated with having Bipolar Disorder. Definitely check them out and see if there is anything you can do to help.

One of my favorite Facebook Groups ever is the Bipolar Badge of Honor, which is a site encouraging the creativity that all of us with Bipolar Disorder are gifted with. The site is full of news about members getting published, original art, and original music. The site moderator seems really cool and keeps repeating that everyone is welcome.

This group is full of members who are supportive and is a good place to turn to when you are in need of understanding friends.

I also recommend checking out personal blogs of people with Bipolar Disorder and you’ll realize that you are not alone.