When we are very ill, whether manic or clinically depressed we need professional help. What sorts of people do we need for support as we start to recover? There is no clear answer to this as we all need different supporters at different times. Here are just 2 ideas:
When I arrived at a meeting of bipolar people for the first time. There was hardly anyone there but this old guy was happy to share with me his crazy experiences from when he was hypo-manic and when manic. I was amazed. I just kept thinking how what he was describing was just how I had been and just how I felt. Yet, I was getting ill again and again, while he had by then been well for 15 years. He had accepted that he would have to do things differently in order to recover. It was about then that I decided to started doing things differently and have not had any returns to the psychiatric ward since. I am not saying he has exactly been a mentor to me, but he was the first person who seemed to know what I was going through and that I guess was why he had such an effect.
When I was really ill I needed support from mental health professionals. When I started to recover I found that every contact with mental health professionals set me back. Now I just see my GP every few months.