I am bipolar also...my name is BJ...I joined the Fisher Ferry Volunteer Fire Dept on July 6, 2001 because my sister married into that dept...I am on minimal meds for my bipolar...I was looked down upon (stigma) because of my illness...I quit that dept in May 2007 because I moved into the city...When I was on that dept, the stigma against me was ALOT...Now since I moved back into the county (not in the same fire district, but a better one) I plan on applying for the Letourneau Vol Fire Dept. Besides the terrible stigma against me is that Fisher Ferry has so many members that not everybody knew each other. On Fisher Ferry, if you wasn't in the friendship click then they would spend less and less time with you. It was so bad that eventually they would verbally tell you that you wasn't wanted on "their" dept. How come the ones without a mental illness owns the dept? I've always thought that the citizens within the fire district was the ones who we helped, so I assumed that the citizens owned the dept not the members. Since I am a volly, I automatically tell myself that the citizens are my boss and I am their employee. Letouneau Vol Fire Dept has only 6 members, so it will be less stress to get to know eveybody. I plan on doing the EMS for Letourneau because nobody is trained in it. They are only trained as firefighters.

In your situation, be VERY careful to not let the stigma of your bipolar affect your emotions. When I was on Fisher Ferry the stigma was so strong and hurtful that I ended up in the psych ward of the local hospital several times.

Please keep in touch with me through this forum, and let me know how everything is going.