Don't Ask, Don't Tell?

Telling someone you have Bipolar can be a daunting thing to do.  A lot of people who are BP decide not to tell a lot of people.  My mom was DX with BP before I was born and I never knew she was Bipolar until after she passed away (She was stable for 21 years on Tegretol, I was 22 when she passed).   Like my  mother, I decided not to tell many people about my diagnosis.  I didn't want my aunts and extended family to find out, but they did.  So the only people who know I am Bipolar are family and close friends.  Some people know I was sick last summer (Summer of 2008 when I was DX) and some people know I spent some time in the hospital, but they don't know why I was sick or what part of the hospital I was in.  I will not tell any of my employers I am bipolar and my husband's employer does not know either. 

I wish that more people were informed about what Bipolar is and how mental illness affects people.  But there is too much stigma around mental illness, I feel people would misunderstand me as a person.  One woman on a support network I am on (on-line) told me I shouldn't have children or be working with children because I am Bipolar.  She told me if I needed meds to "control" me that I wouldn't be a good parent or a good role model.  I informed her that I need meds to help stabilize my moods, they in no way "control" who I am or what I do. 

I am open to hearing your take on the stigma surrounding mental illness and whether you've chosen to tell people or not.