(1/7) Today is unlike any other day for me. It’s my 40th birthday, and I have chosen today to reveal that I have bipolar disorder. I’m also a wife, a mom, and the production editor of a scientific journal. I’m still the same person I was before my diagnosis 21 years ago—quirky, sweet, and caring, as well as a perfectionist, a know-it-all, and a control freak.  The difference is that I have to work hard to stay that way.

I will be posting seven times throughout the day about my life with bipolar. I’m doing these posts for two reasons:

(1) I’m tired of feeling like I should hide my illness. I’m ready to be open about the fact that I live with bipolar. I’m not ashamed of my life or my illness, and hiding it makes it feel that way.

(2) I want to give serious mental illness like bipolar a face and a name to help lessen the stigma that surrounds it. If you don’t know anyone with a serious mental illness like bipolar, now you do.

The next time we see each other in the wild (in person), I understand that it might be awkward or uncomfortable. To make it easier, I will follow your lead. We certainly do not have to talk about this, but we can. It’s your call.

If you are reading this and thinking that I should have told you about having bipolar in person and not on Facebook, I’m sorry. I most likely wanted to or tried to tell you in person once or several times but never found the right time.