Welcome to bpdrel. I wanted to start this group to give people who live with
bipolar
disorder a place to talk about how this ever-present condition affects our
relationships
with loved ones, prospective loved ones, past-tense loved ones, and others.

What prompted me to start this group was that I had just returned from a
wrenching
breakup scene which included my most-recent "ex" verbally pushing me--demanding
answers immediately, when I needed time to think and breathe--until I exploded
into
screaming "leave me alone!!!" and sobbing uncontrollably, which he took to be a
sign of
craziness. When I got home from this (which involved an airplane ride across
the country,
more craziness) I realized I had misplaced my car registration and started
looking in a
filebox for it. Stay with me here.....So then I came across a file that didn't
look like it
belonged, and what did it contain but a reference from the director of my
residency
program, way back in 1991. It was a reference letter for a job that later
turned disastrous.
The letter said that I had very poor interpersonal skills and was considered
difficult to
work with.

So why am I talking about work references here?

Because my concern is: Do I have the ability to interact effectively with
people? Am I able
to perceive social input correctly, or are my wires so crossed that I really am
socially
disabled? How much of this is bipolar, and how much Asperger's (which is a
secondary diagnosis that has been much kicked around but not made "official")

What about other people who have bipolar disorder? Does anyone have functional
relationships? Help!!!!

Laura