Hi group,
I am a kind, young person who suffers from Manic Depression or Bipolar Disorder. I have had it since November 1996, which caused me to lose several jobs, miscount and excessively spend money, and become extremely gullible. And I TRY not to be. I feel like there is something wrong with me by other people's perception of me (how they think about me, even if they have seen me for the first time). I also feel ashamed, embarrassed, and ostracized (about having the illness). I know I should not feel ashamed of having the Bipolar as a firm believer in God; however, I feel like an outcast. Help!

Well, luckily you have an illness that responds well to treatment. It's no different than having diabetes- you didn't ask for it but it can be controlled with medication. As far as being ashamed, no one has to know, it's not their business except for those you really trust and you are close to. One of the biggest struggles is trying to find the right medication or combination of medication that works with your system and making sure you keep regular appointments with your doctor. Sometimes, a certain medication will work for a while and then it just doesn't or the dose needs to be adjusted so a good relationship with your doctor is a must in managing this. Once you are chemically stabilized, therapy may be a good option for you so you can learn how to deal with this and identify what triggers some of your episodes (not sleeping, relationships, etc) and how to keep a routine in your daily life so you can function. Someone once said to me "Quit worrying about being normal, the goal is to be functional".

Depression is one of those disorders which most people face in there life as some stage for one reason or the other. If it's children the pressure of studies gets over their head and if it's adults the pressure of work attracts depression. Rather than going on drugs, one should look for the reason behind there problem .
Xanax is one of those medicines which help in relieving anxiety and depression, but this medicine should only be used for small duration as this is habit forming drug and sometimes the withdrawal symptoms can be more depressing. You can even have cheap xanax online, as there are various pharmacies which can provide you online prescription. The withdrawal from this medicine is a slow and gradual process rather than abrupt. Xanax works by slowing down the nervous system and hence relieves anxiety.