I was young when I started having problems. At 17 my teacher came up to me and told me I'm depressed. We talked about all my options and left it at that. She told me I could still have good days when depressed (she didn't recognize mania). She tried to have the D&A counselor talk to me and I flipped ****. Stormed out of there and didn't come back for the rest of the day.

I've know I've had issues since 11 but I was/am scared of telling the whole truth in fear of being hospitalized (when I was little I thought for months/years at a time) Also the idea hospitals would make me eat or get a feeding tube scared the hell out of me. One of the first serious conversations I had with my husband is if he force hospitalizes me or does anything to get me hospitalized it = Divorce. So he shares with no one (including his therapist) what living with me is like.