@greenpea Hi! and @Dadcaringalone I didn't know I had bipolar til I was 46 either - 9 years ago. Round and round the rollercoaster for many years before that - now that I know I'd say I've had it since my teens. I've only had real support with it for 1 1/2 years now, never before that as I ruined relationships with family and poor life choices habitually. And it took a few years after diagnosis to work out who was really up to being a steady and trusted support person for me. A couple tried but it didn't work out (my mum and my adult child) for various reasons but now I am more stable than ever and largely thanks to my bro and sil being so steady and reliable. I trust them enough to listen if they tell me they think things are changing one way or the other. And respect them enough not to vent on them. I can only hope that if I really escalated into mania and psychosis again I would allow them to get help for me or get me to hospital, without having to involve police again - that would totally flip me out. My highest priority from day to day is staying out of hospital and continuing to live where I am.
