A few days ago, my partner told one of their coworkers about me making cookies at night, and the coworker immediately asked if I was manic. I decided to look into it and while I don't get highly manic or depressed, my behavior does match the symptoms pretty well. On top of that, about half of people with MS have a mood disorder.
I guess I don't want my partner to think of me as a normal person with a layer of personality on top due to BPD. And I really don't want them to be scared of my hurting them due to stereotypes about it. But there is a really good chance I have it (I will seek a diagnosis) and they have a right to know.
Edit: I sort of soft launched it by asking if they would think of me different or be scared of me if I had bipolar disorder, and they just straight up said yes, at least for a while. I'm hoping that at worst it's Cyclothymia.
I understand this fear unfortunately well (still trying to get an eval for a few things including bipolar 2 ). I dont have any advice, just empathy and virtual hugs if you want them.
I appreciate it, thank you.