Once I had taken the journey outlined in the first part of this article, I can honestly say that it was no longer hard for me to talk about my bipolar disorder to either friends or co-workers. This was a new and liberating place for me to be, especially considering that for the first several years of dealing with mental illness I barely spoke about it beyond those closest to me. Part of that was confusion and lack of knowledge; I didn't want to talk about something that I was still totally unfamiliar with.
Once I educated myself on bipolar specifically, and mental illness in general, I started to form the opinions that led to me speaking openly not only within my circle of friends and co-workers, but also publicly through AMI-Quebec and now on Mikesstory.com. I now find myself discussing it in much the same way I would the fact that I am engaged, that I am a skydiver or that I love 9-ball and play competitively - that is, I tell those who show interest in me and my life to that level, and/or those for whom the fact that I have bipolar is relevant. Otherwise, I don't.
I feel that this kind of openness is a major key, perhaps even the single most important element in progressing social attitudes toward mental illness to where they need to be, where they should be.

Be well,
Jason Finucan