I went to visit my Dad for the holidays just these past recent days, and somehow we he got on me that I'm lazy, I wont amount to anything etc. Only because I slept in until 10:30 am 12.26.06 ( lets add I'm vacation from Dec 23 - Jan 2) and I just went to see him only 2 of those days.

Granted, it still hurts.

He knows I have bipolar 2 , but his girlfriend has to explain it to him ( he is 71 ) I still don't think he understands. I'm dependent live on my own, no kids - I have lots of friends ( most are guys ).

I guess I'm still looking for his support and respect - where did go?

i hate being called lazy or that id never get out of my downs.. that ill never be anything... ppl seem to think well an´ ex and my current has more then once said so to get to me, hit low, as id never ever do.. im no BP i think my moyfriend is.. anyways . i really gets to me aswell..

and god know where the respects gone, i swear to god it was there 5 mins ago, or was that when i got dependable.

you just need to realize that your dad is not capable of giving you the support you need, and don't look for it there.......look for it where you will find it, with understanding friends, and here on these boards.

Thank you, I was diagnose this past August 2006. I'm still in that roller coaster of emotions of accepting everything.

designunique, I know how you feel. My dad does the same thing to me. He puts me down on a lot of different occasions for a lot of different things. He also does this if I sleep for a long time or if I miss things because I am too tired/depressed to do anything. He does not understand my illness and I don't care to try and explain it to him anymore. I've just come to accept that he doesn't understand and I have to take care of myself and try my best to ignore his put downs (even though they often leave me in tears, unfortunately). Take care and I hope you are able to find a way to make your father understand this illness!

I went to visit my Dad for the holidays just these past recent days, and somehow we he got on me that I'm lazy, I wont amount to anything etc. Only because I slept in until 10:30 am 12.26.06 ( lets add I'm vacation from Dec 23 - Jan 2) and I just went to see him only 2 of those days.

Granted, it still hurts.

He knows I have bipolar 2 , but his girlfriend has to explain it to him ( he is 71 ) I still don't think he understands. I'm dependent live on my own, no kids - I have lots of friends ( most are guys ).

I guess I'm still looking for his support and respect - where did go?

My dad used to say the same things about me sometimes. Funny thing is, I was a "daddy's girl." But once I started dating, I think he got a little jealous, or maybe afraid of losing his "little girl." Whatever the reason, it still hurt to have him say those things. Btw, I'm not bipolar.
I think you hit it right on the head when you said you still don't think he understands. Most likely, he DOESN'T understand, and he probably never will. I have 2 brothers and a sister who are bipolar, and so was my mom. My dad never seemed to acknowledge that this is a mental illness. When he was growing up (btw, he was 79 when he died), that sort of thing just wasn't talked about. Probably it was that way for your dad too. And it's gotta be hard to understand something that nobody ever talked about.
My point is that you may never get your dad to understand your bp disorder. His girlfriend probably won't get him to understand it either. But your dad loves you. If he didn't, he wouldn't bother to express his feelings. Maybe he wants to show support but just doesn't know how. Have you tried talking to him about this? Not arguing, but waiting until things are calmed down and then sitting down and talking?

Rosequartz and imcasper2 bring up really good points about the possibility that your dad will never get it. It is really hard changing the beliefs of just a few generations past, because of how severe the stigma of having a mental disorder was, and the misconceptions about causes, etc. "Heaven help us if anyone finds out that _____ is mental!" "What will the neighbors think?" "If you put your mind to it, you can overcome it." Ugh. I have had to battle with my parents for their acceptance, and endorsement of how hard I am trying to get better. In my dad's case, showing him a technical-ish medical guide helped him finally accept it. I believe that in our generation, the naming conventions will come that reidentify illnesses like ours as brain disorders, not mental disorders. And what a world of difference that will make. I can say this from experience, because I was a pediatric case of fibromyalgia, identified 16 years ago. Back then, so little was said or known about it, and it was considered imaginary, all in the mind. I am amazed and thankful how time increases knowledge and understanding and acceptance.

But as for right now, maybe focusing on some of the science will help. For example, the part of the brain responsible for both our sense of pleasure and our motivation is in the prefrontal cortex (I am 90% sure I have this straight). Dopamine is involved in the mechanism, and if our dopamine levels aren't right, we just can't do the things we need to or want to, as much as we'd like to. It isn't that we are lazy, and it isn't our fault; it is something out of our realm of control until we get meds to help. Then a comparison to an illness like diabetes may help, since there is a similarity in insulin levels cycling irregularly.

My heart is with you, and I wish you good luck. Be kind to yourself, and do surround yourself with understanding, supportive people, to make up for the lack of this with family.