Wow... sorry to hear about you being ill. Good that you're getting better though, so many people struggle on with these things for years without ever getting diagnosed, to the point where they can't ever get their lives back. You will probably have downs as well as ups, but keep with the meds and the counselling.
As for informing people... that's hard. In some cases it may be that the best way to do it is by writing letters. No-one can interrupt you or divert the course of the conversation with a letter, so that way you can say exactly what you want/ need to say and no more, no less. If you do this, I'd advise writing the letter(s), putting it aside for a day or two, and then re-reading them before sending them, just to make sure you've said everything exactly as you meant to. I know you to be very fluent and articulate when writing, so I very much doubt you'd be able to give anyone the wrong idea in a letter, but if you're really worried about it get someone you really trust and who already knows about your condition (counsellor?) to read the letter as well before sending.
As for things to avoid saying, well I guess it depends on the people you are dealing with. Obviously you know better than I do how they will react, but in most cases the only thing to avoid saying would be anything untrue. Keep to the important stuff though, unnecessary details will just complicate matters, and you can always bring them up some other time if need be. Acknowledge anything you've done that's hurtful, explain why it happened and why it won't happen again. If necessary, explain anything that you think the other person needs to change if you think they are partly at fault, or give them some 'warning signs' to look out for that might indicate that you're having a bad day/ not yourself.
And don't worry too much. People can be very understanding about things like this, especially if they've known and liked you for a long time. Some people may even surprise you in this regard. If you've just started behaving differently recently, then they'll probably be relieved to find out the reason behind it and to hear that the 'old you' is on the way back.
Oh, I've also heard that writing can be very therapeutic. Why not nip over to the HifH thread somewhen soon?
