I live in London and I’m lucky enough to have a very good GP. I have a therapist who prescribes the big hitting meds that I need but the one thing I do not ever take is Lithium. I’ve found the side effects make it difficult to work and that’s a complete no for me.
My family are extremely supportive and have had to deal with a lot since I started showing signs as a teenager. There is a lot of stigma over bipolar in particular, and also a lot of false diagnoses as it requires years of being monitored by a therapist during bouts of suspected mania. It also is a spectrum in itself and I rarely suffer from depression; I am on a level and have 1/2 week long bouts of mania at intervals that can be affected by my life situation.
I’m trying to monitor the signs but once inside that period of mania it can be very hard to see the wood for the trees. It’s why I’m so fearful of it.