Myths about bipolar disorder abound, and honestly, most people don’t know anything about bipolar except the myths or common misconceptions. On World Bipolar Day, it makes sense to me to spend a little time pointing out bipolar myths and addressing them.
Bipolar Myth 1: Bipolar Disorder Doesn’t Really Exist or Is a Moral Weakness/Character Flaw
We can mostly blame Scientologists and antipsychiatrists for perpetuating this common myth, and I can tell you, from the bottom of my soul, after living with bipolar disorder for 17 years, nothing feels more real to me than bipolar disorder.
Scientifically, though, we actually know that bipolar disorder is real because we can see it on scans. Yes, that’s right, bipolar brains look different than average brains. For example, we know that people who suffer major mood episodes actually have parts of their brain shrink. Really. Please read here for more on brain differences in bipolar disorder.
We also know that bipolar disorder is genetic. In twin studies, identical twins showed a concordance rate of 33-90% for bipolar I, and someone with a first-degree relative with bipolar disorder has a seven times greater risk of developing bipolar than the average person.
Bipolar Myth 2: Bipolar Disorder Is about Mood Swings
People have a misconception about bipolar (thanks to TV and movies, mostly) that people with bipolar disorder are up one second, angry the next, and suicidal the moment after that. This just isn’t true. In typical cases of untreated bipolar disorder, moods actually last months – not minutes. Now, there are rare variants of bipolar disorder that do cycle more quickly – one, known as ultradian, can see people with bipolar cycling in a few hours. This, however, is the major exception. (Women tend to suffer rapid cycling variants more often than men, FYI.)
Bipolar Myth 3: Bipolar Disorder Isn’t That Bad and Has Upsides
This point is arguable by some, but in my view, bipolar disorder is, for most people, very negative, and its upsides pale in comparison to its negatives.
In the early 1990s, it was estimated that bipolar disorder cost the economy 15.5 billion dollars annually due to lost productivity. But if that isn’t enough to convince you of the severity of bipolar disorder, consider this: up to half of all people with bipolar disorder will attempt suicide, and up to 11% will die by suicide. If you suddenly contracted an illness where more than one-in-ten people died of it, I think you would consider it pretty severe. In case you were wondering, people with bipolar disorder also die sooner than the average person thanks to a greater risk for obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome.
As far as its upsides go, the only thing really scientifically proven is that people with bipolar disorder are often more creative than the average individual. Well, yippee for me.
Bipolar Myth 4; People with Bipolar Disorder Are Violent or Dangerous
According to the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC), there is some truth to this myth. It found that 0.66% of people in the general population without a psychiatric condition displayed aggression (overt acts intended to harm), whereas in people with bipolar disorder (without comorbidities), the number was 2.52% in bipolar I and 5.12% in bipolar II. So, yes, people with bipolar disorder have been shown to be more aggressive than the average person. That said, we’re still talking about a sliver of people with bipolar disorder. More people die of bipolar disorder, times two, than are overtly aggressive with it.
(The numbers do climb dramatically if the person with bipolar also has a personality disorder or abuses substances, but that’s another matter entirely.)
Bipolar Myth #5: People with Bipolar Disorder Shouldn’t Be in Relationships
This particular bipolar myth really hurts people with bipolar disorder as it often isolates them from others and lowers their self-esteem with regard to relationships. People with bipolar disorder have, in some cases, bought into the bipolar myth that they simply aren’t worthy of other people.
This is not true, however. People with bipolar disorder have an illness; yes, it’s true. This illness tends to pose a lifelong challenge; yes, it’s true. This illness can wear down a relationship; yes, it’s true. But none of that means that people with bipolar disorder can’t be in loving, successful relationships. Many are quite happily coupled. Is it hard? I’m guessing so, but relationships are always hard and always have challenges, and any severe illness would be one such challenge. And keep in mind 50% of all married couples do end up divorcing, and you can’t blame all of that on mental illness.
Myths about Bipolar Hurt Those with Bipolar
The thing about myths about bipolar is they hurt people with bipolar disorder as they lead to bipolar prejudice and discrimination. If someone meets me and thinks that I’m a monster, then, of course, they’re going to treat me badly, no matter how unfair that may be. So on this World Bipolar Awareness Day, please take a moment to educate yourself or a loved one about the facts about bipolar disorder. That real understanding can make the world better and more accepting for all.
Hi short sweet new doc says i may not have bi pol maybe its my personality ,and short stince bipol up and down its not bipol go to another visa versa seriuos hang myself and let him dianoz it , he already knows MALES no lots about nothing ! How do i no ? Yeah im male im 90/100 better because i respect woman ,why because evolution being treated second rate for ever u hzve learnt woman power yaaaay i rock cause im right???
Fantastic Blog and i would love to share my experiances and views regarding Bipolar. i worked in a school with children as a behaviour mentor which have behaviour difficulties so it was a streesful and full on job at times but id done it for 11years and thought i was used to the strees/intensity of the job. clearly not because it was March 5th 2014 where i woke up and felt this intense feeling of elated and happiness. i felt like a differant person, a powerful person. i felt like Jesus and i and this is my opinion only but i believe i was Jesus to this day well i believe his spirt was in my body anyway. And to make things more strange, March 5th was the first day of lent aswell and i wasnt even that religours. everything around me was clear and shape, my vison went from being ok to amazing. my hearing was perfect and i could hear small detail from far away. i felt strong, stronger then i have ever felt, i ran up and down the courtyard and felt Faster and fitter. it was the best i have ever felt in my life so i wasnt complaining about this Gift/Sign from God. and i do really belive it was a Gift/Sign from God. Anyway i phoned work and said that i wouldnt be coming in as i felt i had done enough and that i quit. So i feel this amazing and i have a day off, so i walk shop and everything around me was amazing, traffic worked around me example, the lights would change when i clicked my finger, or the road was clear everytime before i crossed over and that happend everytime time. I was in totel control of how i felt and wasnt a risk but i worried my boss and my best mate. i explained that i felt like Jesus, i even burnt a ciggettee out of my two palms in front of them as i felt like something was missing , the stigmarta and everything i was thinking felt like it was God telling me what to do or was thinking for me. Anyway they took me doctors and he sent me away because i wasnt a risk. i was talking very quick and felt super itelligent, i wrote a song once back at home as in lrics and chords for the guitar in 10mins, 10mins, useally it would take me at least a day to create something. my boss went but my mate was still with me, i was talking about world peace and equality around the world. i was adiment all water and food should be Free for everyone as its gods planet and that was his intension. I belived money was the route to all evil and that people didnt work they did their passion instead for free and in return everyrhing would be free, free home,free car, aswell as food and water etc i ended uo getting payday loans out as i had no money but still knew i needed it, money had no value to me. i would give away my money to the poor as God was telling me too.. We went Nandos for some chicken with other friend later that evening, again i was talking about freewill and peace and love etc whilst listening to music, music felt and sounded amazing, i knew songs word for word even if it was the first time id heard the song, all the lyrics become clear and made sense and i related them to God, my father. Anyway the reason we was in Nandos which i didnt know about was because my police officer mate who was off duty rang the police as he was concerned, they came out and then arrested me under the mental health act even tho i wasnt a risk to myself or anyone in my veiw. so they took me hospital and paced me in a room with a officer. This is when things became even stranger, i started having visons and my thoughts were Gods thoughts i wasnt in control of what i was thinking, visons and signs would just come in my head.. Satern, the devil was casted out of heaven along with his followers, myself and my angels as i also believed i was michael the archangel known as Jesus then captued the devil, nailed him on a cross in hell and burnt him on it until he was dust aswell as putting a Steak through his Heart. it happend for hours in my head. i then panic and had to get out of this room as i belived i burnt the devil alive whilst in it and i visoned the room was burinng around me. i got out the room i then started to smash my phone to bits as i belived it was made of bad chemicals, i ripped out all my cards from my wallet and chcuked them, which my mate picked up and looked after. so now i am escorted to my hospital ward but i havent a clue where i am, i am following 6-8 peaople, i start to strip and take my clothes off as i believe they are taking me to be baptized. when i realised they hadn’t i became agreesive and started ripping up signs around the ward that told you not to do something, i picked the clock up and stated changing the time beliving i was making time go forward. i didnt believe in the concept of time, just 4 seasons as in summer, winnter etc.. i then get locked in a secure room and i start shouting out what i am thinking/seeing. i am chaging the name of the Earth to Equality where ever living thing on planet is Equal and humans are all vegiterians. no numan is no differant to any animal, we all look afrer one and other. anyway things seem to go to normal then hours later they let me out. i was sectioned for around a week. in that week i was sedated 3-4 times in the arse for causing damage to a door as i tried to escape sevreal times. Also started taking tablets whilst in hospital. when they relised me i still felt manic but in a controlled way, the visons had stopped and i just felt happy/confident/excited etc. the tablets were giving to me, i was strongly against them because i felt good so i never took any once i left hospital. i was fine and stayed manic but in a controlled way and i still belived jesus was inside me up until easter sunday/monday then all of a suddern i felt back to me. i find the dates weird, first day of lent uptill easter sunday/monday. So Yeah that was episode 1, doctors say its a one off blip, hypomania so i dont take tablets.
I return back to work in June after being off for 3months and everything is fine, not manic, not depressed, just back to feeling normal up until the 30th Nov/1st Dec 2014. i go to a mates weeding and to a baptism on the 30th, i stand outside the church, look up at the cross and start crying out of no where and then i say to myself, thats me on the cross believing i am Jesus in a past life. i was controoled though.. next day 1st decemeber, which is the 1st day of advent so another religours day which is strange i go to work and feel the manic epoisode coming on/feeling like Jesus, I explain to my boss, he takes me doctors, doctor signs me off work but lets me go home and doesnt even offer me any medication due to not being on anyway which i found odd but i didnt want it anyway. i start having feelings/thoughts again out of no where, buy a candle and light it up in my flat for advent. i spread out family photos all over the table and believe they all know that im jesus. i still had the same thoughts as the first time about a free world and freewill etc but i started having other thoughts and feelings aswell. the days would go by and i would make sure i went church to pray, i would dance and listen to music, i would imaigne that i could bring back the dead, even tho it wasnt happening in front of me, i believed it would happen one day. i would again control traffic and lights around me, my socail life went up and i would go town most days for a drink of beer or water depending on what i fancied. i would belive drinking was ok aslong as it was in moderation. then the signs happens and visons/thoughts take over.. i lasted a few days and now im about to go proper manic without knowing. this time my new girlfriend is with me most days. im listening to music alot and crying and begging for forgivness, i feel that i turned my back on my father this time. everywhere i walk i struugle to stand, my knees constently bending and shacking, i cant stand and i lose control of my body and basic walk like i am disabled and i know its all because im constantly begging for forgiveness.. i go to bed that evening with my girlfreind tired after the day and the most unreal thing happens. lying on my back with my arm round my Girlfriend i start to drift off and then out of no where a shadow flies into our faces and goes again as quick as it came. it was a spirt, i belive it was gods spirt and so you think im not just crazy as it happens my girlfriend wakes up screaming and crying so i assure her its ok and shes safe. i know that was God i felt him and he forgave me and wanted me to get outside so i left my girlfriend sleeping and walked the streets pitch black. visions and thoughts would control me again and i would look up at the moon and the stars and form differant shapes and believe i was starting from the begining again and re creating the moon and the stars from scratch. id do this all night, id also seperate the sea from the land, i would create light and dark i would watch the sunrise and create the sun again aswell as all the other planets in the universe. my girlfriend said he had a nightmere when she woke up, i told her it was a shadow coming towards us, she wouldnt have none of it, i knew it was God. the showdow happend 100 per cent but i also belived that God had placed a baby Jesus in my girlfriends womb and that she was infact the vrigin mary and would turn out to be my future mother. she turned out not to be pragnant which did confuse me. days go by and i have been creating the land/sea/planets/soler system/light/dark/ then i start creating all the animals and isects and name them, i was happy with their names so kept them the same, i would then create adam and eve/. its crazy but they were the visions i was getting , it was as if god showed me how he done it all from the beginging. finally as the days past it turned to be around six days i was creating things and on the seventh day i felt finished and mentally tired so i rested. once i rested i began feeling high again but i wasnt getting any visions or thoughts or feelings from God, is that it i was thinking, how do i get you back inside my head. i was still manic and was still off work and now its Dec 10 so id been like it for 10days. i felt like i had done what i was meant to do but i still felt like Jesus spirt was inside me, what do i do now, i have to spread the message on facebook and twitter that i am Jesus in another body, i message all the famours bands and singings to come and get me, i put up statues that its going to snow on christmas day in Africa, i belive world poverty has come to an end.. i have no money, i ring my mates, the police officer one, i ask him to lend me money for a plain ticket to go to ireland one way so i can find Bono From U2 so we can all get togther and save the world., i threatan to swim to ireland, my two mates rightly worry this time and meet me. my mate said he would give me the money to ireland aslong as i agreed to go to the hospital first, i agreed, spoke to the doctors, crisis team, shrinks etc then bang, poilice mate grabs my arm, reads me my rights and trys to hancuff me, i feel strong, 4 people try and restrain me they cant, im angry so i headbut my copper mate as hes the one who is getting me sectioned again and grabbing me. police eventually turn up, i walk with them then they escort me to hospital to be sectioned again. this time i dont wanna be here and i am pissed off and ,manic. i climb a wall in the back garden escape, pick up a brick and smash into the nearest car i see, sit in the seat and try to find keys to drive off. then its a Blur, i wake up in a secure unit and left in a room for around a week until i was calm enough to be around other patiants. i come out, still feel high and manic but im calm, the meds are stating to kick in, thoughts of jesus start to go and then i will my tribrunial on the 23rd Dec so im out for christmas. this time they tell me i have Bipolar and they give me meds and they give me a CPN case worker.
New years eve and ive took the tablets for around a month now and i feel like Shit, have done since coming out of hospital, feel down and depressed i have no energy, i cant concentrate, feel low and unhappy.. it must be the tablets, i cant go on feeling like this, i stop taking them and i get smashed on new years eve with my girlfriend, end up doing some drugs and the nights a blare and i wake up with i sore face, i appently took too much mandy mixed with drink and face plented the floor.. Anyway days go by, i aint going back on the tablets, i am statting ti feel better again, more myself, i am going out again and overspending money, i start putting random stuff on twitter.. my bday is coming up on the 8th Jan, i start to belive that will be the day jesus comes back into me.. i wake up On the 8th Jan my birthday and i feel the power running through my body its the most intense its been this time, my birthday this time, the 3rd coming of jesus in my body. this time i wasnt thinking/having visions, instead i thought all had been completed and everything was free, i walk into a shop and crack a beer open at 8.am and walk out with out paying, it kicks off, no violance but wards are exchanged, i eventually give them the drink back. weirdly enough i have a meeting today with my CPN worker and a doctor for a check up, my boss picks me up and drives me.. my head is racing and i am proper manic. blasting the music, thinking everything on the radio were signs for me.. i have my passport on me, i am jesus we dont need passports anymore as trust eachother and should go where ever you want too, without questions. i chuck my passport out the window on the way to the appointment. i feel great becuase im manic, im dancing on the way, singing, grabbing ballons from shops and waving them arouund as its my bday. then i see my cpn working and doctor with my boss i am manic and quick on the mark and feel more itelligent then any doctor or shrink, becuase of this they refer to hospital, why, im not harming myself or anyone unllike when i was gonna swim the sea this time im just manic. anyway get to the hospital we go in this room just me and my boss then i have visions that we have been there togther before in a past life and that everyone was there as in God and Mary etc they were sitting around with us whilst we were eating bread, which we were as in a sandwich.. anyway i end up getting sectioned again on my bday aswell.. this time i am really manic and sounds and tv are processing rapidly in my head and everything is fast as lighting.. yet again i break out form the ward and get pulled by police oon the streets who then take me to the secure unit.. this time i have taken tablet and had a depo injection.. i get out on the 3rd Feb, told to take differant tablets this time and see how that goes..
i take the tablets daily, my girlfrind is on my case now aswell and i really dont feel right… i am still off work waiting to go back, so i have all this time to myself and i am just overthinking and feeling depressed daily.. the depression gets worse as the months go on. i get told that i might loss my job due to the length of time ive had off as its now April 2015 been off since Dec. But i want to go back, its work saying they might not have me back because doctors say i need to be monitord at work, neverbeen a risk at work and always been ok working with kids, i even knew the signs of it coming on back in dec and tried to catch it early. months go on and i am still depressed, still taking my meds but feel sucidal and constantly on edge, my sex life is becoming an isse, i never felt like this off meds so it must be the meds again making me feel so down,. i have lost my mum at 10, my sister at 22, my gran at 25 and my dad walked out on me as a kid so i pretty much have no one to turn to, my mates dont understand and they have stopped seeing me, my girlfrind is trying but she cant handle me when im down and suicidal. i have never felt this bad so i try to take my own life whilst on my own, trying an overdose by taking about 30 tablets, trying to hang myself, cant get the lead tight enough, punching myself/crying the worse feeling in the wrold. thinking of jumping in front of traffic but deep down cant do it as i believe in God and know notto take my own life. So i come off the tablets again as they havent worked, ive tried several ones, all make me feel shit.
June and im still of work waiting to hear to go back. off the tablets but still feel shit and down. dont feel suicidal though which is a positive. My mate come over, we play fifa, im not in the mood now so we stop. his ligther runs out and i say ive got some gas to fill it. he fills it up then says he used to sniff/inheal it as a teenager, ive never heard of sucking gas but my mate started doing it in front of me. i felt like shit so thought sod it il try it.. at first it was like a light headed buzz but the more i done it the more intense the buzz was. i thought i was raving at a rave, my head was flashing and thoughts started racing about me being jesus again, i was popping can after can becuase iloved how it made me feel even though i was crying with what i was seeing in my head, they were more happy tears. anyway i go bed and wake up feeling depressed and think to myself did i dream all of that last night, i had an amazing night tripping on gas im sure i did.. Shop i go, 2 cans of guys laters and my head is in a state but i love what i see.. i see heaven and angels and hear amazing ringing/buzzing sounds this is amazing and im keeping conrol of it. i am worried about going manic but i love the intense rush im getting on gas.. i start doing it in a grave yard/Church, my Girlfriend rings me, i cry my eyes out as the visions i see are amazing and Gas has trigged it this time where others have just come on by itself. my girlfriend comes and i am gassing infront of her still crying, shes worried and takes me hospital.. i start feeling manic again, we go in the hosptal, and im tripping on the cans of gas ive had before, head still seeing visions/sounds, my girlfrind is in tears but im more bothered about spinning around whilst hearing thoughts thatt i belive are God sending me signals and visions which i love. anyway i am claver this time and when the doctors talk to me i manage to tell them what they wanna hear aprart from when they took blood from me i said it was to cure the sick. but they sent me home, i was happy as i still had control and didnt wanna get sactioned.. My girlfriend drops me off and says its over betwen us as i leave. she had enough of it all and me doiing Gas hasnt helped.. i love her but because am starting to become manic say good and slame the door. im up all night watching the god channel which i love when feeling like jesus. i feel in control this time but i cant be as im getting more loans out so i can get the first train to town.. i get the loans and head off and buy more gas and trip out walking the streets. god then tells me to bin the gas so i listen like always. i go to bars at 8am and have a few beers with water. i walk the streets and see signs like a man wearing a tshirt saying the son of god and shaking my hand like he knows me. i say i am the son of god, he says im not the son of god but in fact im god which was weird as i felt that god had promotoed me to his level. i go bars and dance and sing in the day, everyone was loving me, huging me, kissing me, its like they knew i was jesus/God. i end up getting chucked out a few bars for doing more gas in pubs without a care in the world what others think.. i walk the streets and meet a couple of lads and a girl. off my face on gas the girl takes my trousers down, then all of a suddern runs of with my wallet with hundrads of pounds in from the loans, bank card, everything all gone. but i wasnt bothered, i dont need money, everything is free for me. i change clothes in shops and walk out, i take food from shops and walk out, i think everything is free and i am getting away with it..everyone knows who i am, they cant touch me. i start dancing in town, i feel like a new born baby a born again jesus, its inense now even without the gas.. i dance the streets and need to go toilet, its the day time and people are singing to this street artist and i get out my penis and try to piss in front of everyone, why, because the powers that be or god are telling me too.. i get cold so i walk in a expensive shop, take a jacket and walk straight out. the alarm goes off, i get man handed and wait for the poilce. poilice take me to the stock room, i need the toilet bad and cant control it so i get it out in front of the cops and piss in front of them on the floor near the stock, they tell me to clean it which i do then they take me to the station. in the interveiw i say i am the son of god, and eveything is free and god tells me to do things. they chage ,me with indicent exposure, theft and crimnal damage, i have to go court later that month. but they release me, why havent they sectioned me again. i then go looking for the band kasabian as i live in the same city as them leicester uk.. i cant find them but end up bunmping into teenage lads, they have a laugh and dance and encourge me to pull my trousers down whilst walking the streets and because i feel god is telling me to so, i do and then they nick my iphone and run off. this time i dont feel fast or strong as i feel like a new born baby so i couldnt even chase them.later that night i bump into more teenages, this time they want me to follow them, i follow them all night, struggling to stand, i asked where we were, they said London which is 100miles from leicester. i knew we couldnt be in london but i seen a sign saying london road and took that as a sign. so the next day i go to the train station jump on a train with no money and head to london. why, i wanna meet the queen and tell her who i am, buckingham palace hear i come. i walk up and down the train for two hours, get caught without a ticket, say im the son of god and i dont need to pay they take my details and let me get off in london. so i am in london on my own wanting to meet the queen with no money. i go in some bars and take drinks that are not mine. i ger asked to leave. i walk into a chinse resturant, sit down and eat a full meal. when the bill comes out i try and pay with a millon doller note saying god judgesme and god only, they refuse to accept it as of cause it isnt real so i walk out withoutn paying.i i try and change the fake note in money shops thinking its real but of course its not. i jump into a taxi and go to buckingham palce, get there and say ive got no money, the driver wants my sunglasses instead so i give him then.. buckingham palce is closed, the queen knows im coming in my head so i lye outseide the gates in the shape of a cross.. the armed police come over and ask me to stand up and leave so i do, well i jump in the water fountain outside the palace. everything that im doing i am doing because god is telling me to, its like he wants me to push the boundries.in london, no money, no idea where i am, wet clothes, without a care in the world because im jesus and can do what i want. Go to a comedy club, got no money but a random stranger pays for me to get in.. like he knows who i am.. i walk on the stage and introduce myself as Jesus and ive come all this way and i want everyone to live life and enjoy it, then walk off stage to a standing ovation.. they must feel what i feel surly, its strange how so many people have encourged me. anyway i order a bottle of wine, and start drinking it without paying.. i get chucked out. so i roam the streets till early hours, dancing in the street, meeting new people oh and smoking weed, i never smoke weed but thought it was gods why of saying have some of nature. i start feeling hungry and take a sandwich from a shop, i get caught, the police come and they arrest me under the mental health act after i claimed to be the son of god. locked up in a london police cell for 2days before they drove me back to leicester to the hospital to be sectioned again. all four times i have been sectioned under a section 2 which is upto 28 days.. i became aggreesive and had to go to the secure unit again, i seem to make a habbit of the secure unt.. back on the meds again, start coming down and feeling myself again then went back into depression mode about 14 days in. i ended up doing the full 28days so i was depressed for 2 whole weeks, thinking why me, whats happening, i know im not crazy etc,,.. had no motivation, just wanted to lye in bed and do nothing but feel sorry for myself. this time ive fucked up, ive been arrested in leicester, charged on three counts then arressted in london and all i kept thinking was how can i explain this to work.. when my head cleared i rang the girl i was with and said sorry and begged her back but she wouldnt have none of it..it was and still is upetting as i cared for her so much but my illness took over. None of my mates came out to see me, felt so alone and punished. one person that came out was my aunt. we wasnt close at all but she was the only person who would vist me. so what now, ive been told i have totake the depo injection every month othersise if i relapse i will be sectioned on a section 3 which is upto 6months. the only thing is that the depo has more/worse side effects then the tablets. so i come out, feeling depressed again and suicidal and worthless and im blaming the medication but i cant risk not taking it but im not due the next injection for another few weeeks so il think about it then. Also beacuse i am still off work, my money/wages stop and i have to cliam a benifit called ESA which is 73pound a week. so basically i have to give up my Flat beuase i cant afford the rent now, so the only place i can go is my aunts otherwuse id be homeless so she takes me in and lets me sleep on her sofa. So lost my Girlfriend and Flat within a month and now ive got court for the leicester offences. my solicitor then tells me something which made me feek sick. the local paper leicester mercury are in court.. i try not to worry and hope they are there for the next case. i recieve a 12 month conditional dischage and a 250 fine, which turned out to be alright. they understood i have Bipolar and agreed i wasnt myself. cant say the same for the paper though, they was there for me and as soon as i walked outside, without evening knowing, snap bang put in the paper and made me sound like some dirty pervert waving his penis around. My job with kids is now deffiritloy fucked all becausue the papers want a story. it was even in the national paper the mirror. A national Uk paper, what the fuck, it makes me sick how ive been treated becasue of an illness i cant control. ive worked with children since i was 17, i am now 29, i dont know what else to do. My job//flat/mates/girlfriend all gone becuase of Bipolar and feeling like Jesus.. i never once felt evil, never once felt like i wanted to hurt myself or others infact i felt like helping people and buying homeless people food etc and ive been made out to look like a criminal which has cost me everything i had.
Depo injection day, Auguest, i feel worse then ever and my life has fallen to pieces around me. if i take it il feel depresssed,down, suicidal,worthless,no motivtion, etc and if i dont take it i could feel brilliant again but risk getting arrested and sectioned again this time upto 6months. well its now Ocotber 12th now and im sorry if it annoys//angers people reading but ive yet again refused treatment. i canot after losing everything keep feeling depressed/suicidal etc. i cant live and wouldnt want anyone living/feeling like i do whilst on medication. i have had little episodes a few times since being back out where radio and Tv have kinda chaged stations then something strange comes on, or i at least see and hear it like they are signs/messages for me and im trying to figure out what it could all mean but i cant. its like its coded sentances then it stops and everything goes to how it was, then i think come back signs, happen again but they dont, i strongly belive drugs have had no part in my illness.1st, time i had nothing but did feel streesed at work but not any differant as its a full on job. 2nd time it came on whilst at a wedding weekend. 3rd time well i took some drugs 8daya prior to my full on manic stage but that drug had never made me manic anyother time ive taken it. 4th time legal drugs like Gas yes had a massive part. but again i like to find out so yes ive taken gas since but dont get no where near the same buzz/feeling/sounds etc. so i have come to the coclusion and have strong beliefs that we who have bipolar are special and unique. God is definityl trying to communicate with me and it will only happen when he wants it too happen.. doctors are full of shit and told me it was because of drugs, i dont belive that as like ive said ive put it to the test since being out prove a point to myself that its not drugs and in my opinion it is the powers that be thayare testing us unique bunch of people. or maybe we are all some kind of prophets and dont know how to cope/control the feelings we feel. But i am adiment that i can cope and control this before it goes too far. i believe its a learning curve just like everything is in life. i know i have written alot, alot has happend and had to get it of my chest to people that understand. thnak you for reading., follow me on twittter and see the random comments i made if you like. Macca080186. Or if you fancy reading the article when arrested and put in the paper then goggle Michael McNulty Leicester Mercury or Michael McNulty Mirror
I don’t know if you’ll read this, but our stories are remarkably similar… Down to “being Jesus,” a false pregnancy, drugs having little to no effect on mood, (except coming off amphetamines made me cycle), feeling depressed and suicidal on meds, traveling across the country and getting detained involuntarily, having visions and seeing signs and wonders…My personal experience has been that roller coaster of Ultradian cycling since I was diagnosed with Bipolar I Disorder at 16. As far as the cycles go, It gets better, then it gets worse, but it won’t end until the right messages are received in the brain. Medications help that, though I do wish depression meds didn’t cause cycling… Finding a right combo of meds is difficult, hard to stay on when it keeps mania at bay but either doesn’t treat or worsens depressive episodes. Sleep, seasons, light and darkness play a role in the severity of my cycles too. It’s many years later since you posted this, just wanted to let you know you’re not alone. Over 17 years I’ve met many others with the same kind of issues with meds, a few “Jesus’,” archangels and gods and goddesses (I believe in other explanations outside of delusional thinking as well). Hope you’ve got a better grip of your bipolar and are coping well. Take care.
I wonder if you’d write an article based on the idea/myth that people with mental illness shouldn’t have children. It’s one of my hugest pet peeves.
As someone who has suffered from mental illness for decades, I think the greatest myth is that mental illness is always caused by a chemical imbalance. I wanted to believe that for myself, but after years of so many medications and my life spiraling out of control, I finally faced my demons; that I was abused as a child. I envy those whose psychological problems are due to a chemical imbalance and can find relief in a pill. Unfortunately for me, I really have to work for happiness, which includes daily rigorous exercise, avoiding certain family members, meditating throughout the day and channeling all my repressed childhood anger and fear in positive ways.
hey hun read some of your blog its amazing you are an amazing writer.. i have just started one of my own.. any chance you could write one post for me as a guest on my blog :) xx
Hi Sarah,
I’m sorry, I don’t have the bandwidth to do that. Good luck with your blog.
– Natasha Tracy
Do people die because of bipolar disorder? This is equivalent to asking, do people die due to depression-mania?
It is obvious that a lot of suicidal people are depressed. But why are they depressed? Once again, I want to emphasise that psychiatric labels can obfuscate and hide the problems in living people face.
Someone who is going to commit suicide may have a bipolar label. But the reasons for wanting to die must be evaluated properly. It may not be because he has a bipolar label. It may be because there’s some horrible shit that’s happened in his life. This distinction is a crucial distinction, and has a practical role as well.
Imagine you have tough circumstances in life, and also have a bipolar label, and the treatment focuses on pills and endless amounts of listening and talking. This isn’t really going to change your circumstances.
Imagine a girl gets raped, and has traumatic relationships. She also has a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. She commits suicide, and the paper next day reads “Girl, 20, suffering from bipolar disorder, commits suicide”. This is really a shame. What she’s been through has been completely obfuscated under a descriptive diagnostic label. She didn’t die due to “bipolar disorder”. She killed herself because her life sucked.
I am, of course, fully aware that not all people with bipolar disorder labels have trauma and abuse in their lives, and it probably does a disservice to them when people insist that there must be some trauma. I am also aware of the interacting biological, psychological, social factors idea. The fact that someone has biological risk factors for depression etc., does not mean that that’s always the prime issue.
I like to use this analogy. Physical pain is the result of a combination of biological and environmental factors. People who have a congenital insensitivity to pain, have genetic variants which make their body immune to pain. In other words, the rest of the population does have genes which code for pain. So, if someone comes and punches you in the gut, the pain that you feel isn’t just due to the punch, it’s also because you have genes which code for pain. So, it is both due to environmental and biological factors. But if someone does punch you, you would want to protect and defend yourself from further punches and not just anaesthetise yourself with drugs which block the sensation of pain.
When a person has a bipolar label, you don’t know what it means without actually knowing the history of the person. “Person X has bipolar disorder” is equivalent to saying “person X has depression-mania”. Why was this person depressed? What were the stressors? Was there some traumatic experience? Was it a spontaneous occurrence? Why did this person experience mania? Was it spontaneous? Was it brought on by trauma? Was it antidepressant induced? Was it induced by some other substance? These are the issues that have to be dealt with, in order to be of any proper help.
Different people, different situations.
Harryf200, I find your comment “Ultradian cycling: I read that a piece of research done a few years back suggested that this was more likely to occur in people who had long-term exposure to SSRI anti-depressants. However, the research could not say if this was reversible after the patient stops taking them. Worth keeping an eye out for further research on this, esp. peer reviews.” interesting.
I’ve always been rapid cycling, moderately until late high school/early college, then full-on ultradian [although I didn’t know that term before this week!]. I went without diagnosis or medication until I was 29 even though the onset was when I was 12, so SSRIs were no basis for the rapid cycling. It was so bad before I was medicated that I would go through the full gamut of emotions [rage, paranoia, anxiety, mania, depression, etc] very rapidly, frequently having two or more swings an hour… sometimes even more frequently.
Since I’ve been medicated [currently on lithium, lamictal, laduda, wellbutrin, and zoloft, plus gabapentin and varied other medications for other issues] I rarely have more than a mild swing, and virtually never more than every couple days or weeks. I know that my seratonin levels can’t be influenced by medication but apparently my cocktail is minimizing the worst of it.
Are you aware of any information about non-SSRI ultradian cycling? I’m truly curious since I’ve only recently discovered that rapid-cycling bipolar is apparently the most severe form [seriously???]. I’d appreciate any input you could provide.
Hi. I only came across the SSRI link with the Ultradian cycling by chance, and previously thought my condition had nothing to do with almost a decade taking SSRIs. I’m not assuming the two are linked in my case, just noting that I was on SSRIs long-term and I cycled too damned fast! (In fact, I came across the name of Ultradian by chance, too, as my then pDoc had never heard of it! That was reassuring …)
Nothing I took seemed to handle the mood changes, which could switch from one extreme to another within a minute, without any especial stimulus. These days, the cycling is always there but the extremes of it are generally squeezed in by a regime of 250mg Lamotrigine a day. It *almost* works! Almost because I haven’t experienced a significant hypo’ in a few years, but I have a perpetual low. However, I haven’t experienced a significant dysphoric hypomania (mixed episode) in a few years, either, which is no bad thing! I am sure Ultradia cycling is the second most dangerous BP state, the most dangerous being Ultradian with dysphoric hypomania! It seems to me the ultra ultra rapid mood changes are just too debilitating, too exhausting, too distressing, too painful, and to experience that state without an end in sight makes the ‘long good night’ see most attractive. But the dysphoric hypomania with Ultradian, that has a person with all the distress and pain magnified ten fold, and the energy to do something about it – i.e. to take the final curtain, which one often does not have the energy to do with a depression. That’s the thing with ‘normal’ BP – if you’re really depressed, you won’t harm yourself because doing so takes too much effort! If you’re hypo, you won’t harm yourself because the World seems exciting and lovely. But when you’re jumping rapidly between the two states of mind, it is unbearably painful, yet filled with an excess of energy, when there is a heightened risk of self-harm and a risk of harming others. I hope that, with my meds almost working, I won’t experience a significant break-through where I get savaged with another Ultradian fuelled dysphoric hypo because I don’t think I could stand going through all that again. I’ll stick with what I have, albeit imperfect, because I’m now stable enough to function reasonably well!
Thank you for writing this. I always get a kick out of hearing that hypomania is less pronounced that full-on manic episodes. I am certain that the jerk that nearly ran down a few people in a parking lot, and whom I chased down (through Seattle street traffic) for 20-blocks in an untreated hypomanic swing would have something to say about “less pronounced.” LOL Bipolar II – Rapid Cycling, complex PTSD, a couple brain injuries, and now, lithium. For me, hypomania == The Punisher.
I’m with you on that. As Bipolar I with Rapid Cycling + PTSD, hypomania is generally nearly as bad as mania. However, I only get proper euphoric when manic; and I don’t need sleep at all (10 days is my record so far); and that’s the only time I’ve gone psychotic as well. So there are key differences, and those can specifically make it a more dangerous state to be in. But yeah, as far as the main symptoms, it’s hard to differentiate hypomania from mania – at least for me.
Seattle is funny in that most of the time it’s more pedestrian friendly than other cities, but every so often, there’s an aggressive driver that just tries to run you over.
Btw, so embarrassed I was referring to BP as BPD. Recently had a friend diagnosed with BPD so researched it. The acronym is too much on the brain I guess!
Thanks so much for all of the information you provide… I’ve been diagnosed with anxiety and depression for years. I had one doctor suggest BPD about 10 years ago but when treatment with lithium didn’t work, he changed his diagnosis to ADHD with depression, then something else… I think I had 10 diagnoses when I finally switched to another doctor. At the time of the initial suggestion I didn’t really agree, not because I cared what my diagnosis was, but because I cycled so rapidly hourly, not weeks or months which is all i read about then) and didn’t have “delusions of grandeur.” I didn’t know about Ultradian cycling or mixed episodes. I have most recently been seeing a psych NP, and when I wasn’t responding well to Lamictal and (insert name of any SSRI here) he suggested an antipsychotic as he felt I possibly was dealing with BPD. I was at the end of my rope, like before I didn’t care what my diagnosis was, I just wanted some relief. Lo and behold, within 2 days I felt the difference. I wanted to shout it from the rooftops that I had BPD and felt good for the first time since…? I am currently in a mixed episode, a pretty severe one. My NP explained what one is, but from a medical standpoint. I found your site today… I’ve never seen my EXACT feelings so well put. I really identified with being so tired of fighting, and then I read this article… oh you have nailed it. Once the antipsychotic changed my life, I made it my mission to educate people about the more severe mental illnesses (phhhht… anxiety and depression? They don’t count, since “everyone” deals with one of those to some extent… grrrrr… don’t get me started! ). Regardless, I have definitely encountered some of these myths proposed to me by some people. Interestingly enough, most people have been open to listening to me and not stigmatizing me. The myth comments have been largely well-intentioned and due to media representation of BPD. Anyway, I could write all night, but will stop and simply say THANK YOU again. You have by far the best site I’ve found.
Great article I actually agree with 100% of it. My wife knows a bipolar relationship can be hard but loves always wins.
I made a comment under this post earlier. Not sure why it got moderated.
Hi Andy,
I don’t see a comment from you for this post. It wasn’t a moderation thing, it just isn’t here.
– Natasha Tracy
Maybe I messed up and put in under the wrong thread. I got some ridiculous reply from an anti-psych person, but now I can’t find it. .
Anyways, thanks for your reply. I love what you are doing here. This site is information packed and loaded with fantastic content. I’ve been looking for a blog that addresses the broader issues of bipolar disorder without the subjective talk of the writer’s mood swings and treatments. This has been a serendipitous find.
Well, anger was my main expression for many years; my “manic” phase. I was angry all the time, for any reason.
Now , with meds, I can get some stability; although I end up crying now pretty regularly; which I think was under the anger all the time, as the primary emotion. However, since I have BPD, my brain does not process in a manner which I can understand. As far as creativity, in the 80’s, when I was undiagnosed, and self medicating, I was writing at a furious pace, and managed to generate a $ 200,000 per year income from it. Now, I seem to not care at all about that side of my “brain”. I do not speak of this often. For some reason, I feel ashamed of it, in a way.
When I told my therapist about it, he got all lit up, and suggested I turn back to that “creative”process, and it just pissed me off. What part of ” I can not feel that stuff now”, did he not understand? So much of this above theory is confusing to me. I just lost my relationship of 18 years’, mostly due to her being burned out on my illness.
At this point, I do not believe I could ever be in a long term relationship, without the same thing happening again.
Too much. too late…blah blah blah. I am still angry to have found this out about my brain late in life. Boo Hoo, right?
The D NA test is something called GeneSight Test. Www GeneSight.com. 888-496-2391…it will tell you which antidepressants are good or bad, the same with antipsychotics.
Mood swings are rare? I think not. Not for many people. When I asked my very good Pharma-doctor about my Mood swings he said it was part of the spectrum, and was mania. I have also been severely depressed. Bipolar for sure, even though I have fought that diagnosis for years. A shout out to rapid cyclers. We are everywhere.
But there is Rapid Cycling, Ultra Rapid Cycling, and also Ultra Ultra Cycling (also known as Ultradian Cycling). None are pleasant, of course, but I maintain the UUC version is the most debilitating because you – literally – never know how you’ll feel minute by minute, if you’ll be a cohesive, very effective functional person in a business meeting or if you’ll suddenly, without warning, become a weeping wreck, embarrassing yourself and everyone else in the room. (It’s times like the latter when the idea of checking out of Planet Earth becomes very attractive!)
But there is Rapid Cycling, Ultra Rapid Cycling, and also Ultra Ultra Cycling (also known as Ultradian Cycling). None are pleasant, of course, but I maintain the UUC version is the most debilitating because you – literally – never know how you’ll feel minute by minute, if you’ll be a cohesive, very effective functional person in a business meeting or if you’ll suddenly, without warning, become a weeping wreck, embarrassing yourself and everyone else in the room. (It’s times like the latter when the idea of checking out of Planet Earth becomes very attractive!)
Just a lay person’s view …
Hello, I am a 20 year old woman in University and your web site is what helped me get diagnosed.
I had a manic episode in high school that was mistaken for psychosis. I went through it again a few weeks ago, and found out on this web site what it really was.
I struggled throughout my life with my mental health. I developed OCD at age 8 {which of course is comorbid to bipolar}, depression at 14, and anxiety at 15. When I was a child I struggled with tantrums and emotional sensitivity, ODD and ADHD. My bipolar diagnosis explained a lot for me. I thought I was just a troublesome kid and blamed myself for my issues. When I was diagnosed I knew they weren’t my fault and there was nothing wrong with who I was as a person. I was just bipolar.
Thank you!
“Bipolar Myth 1: Bipolar Disorder Doesn’t Really Exist or Is a Moral Weakness/Character Flaw
We can mostly blame scientologists and antipsychiatrists for perpetuating this common myth and I can tell you, from the bottom of my soul, after living with bipolar disorder for 17 years, nothing feels more real to me than bipolar disorder.”
Yes, but we can also blame social scientists adn other sorts who always claim the bipolar cannot control their behavior, no matter what it is, and should never take responsibility for it (you do great articles about how this is NOT so, and how BPs dont have to be jerks).
It’s not just scientologists, it’s Christians and other Abrahamic sorts, too, who are te “pull yourself up by the bootstraps” sorts who do not know where choice begins and ends. Everything’s a choice to them, because they were hurt by the BP’s statements or actions (which I feel bad for) but they see the mind (soul) as “separate” from the body, and also do not think emotions are real, meaning, they don’t see emotional needs as important as physical needs or emotoins as uncontrollable as physical things, and most of all, all they can see is that their precious “rules” were broken and a “sin” committed.
“Scientifically, though, we actually know that bipolar disorder is real because we can see it on scans. Yes, that’s right, bipolar brains look different than average brains.”
This is where you lost me. Perhaps brain differences can cause bipolar some of the time, but it is a dangerous assumption to make. Brain differences, like you say below, may be the RESULT of bipolar, but it doesnt’t account for all the bipolar that is society and family-induced, or even abuse induced. I have a friend who has depressoin and suspects he has bipolar, and his mother was an alcoholic, his father killed someone in front of him, and two relatives were murdered when he was a teenager. There is no way that way biologically caused.
Just because the brain shows up different on the scan doesn’t mean the brain difference CAUSED the BP. It could sometimes mean the brain difference that shows up is teh RESULT of the bipolar, which was caused by the person’s history and life circumstances.
“For example, we know that people who suffer major mood episodes actually have parts of their brain shrink.
We also know that bipolar disorder is genetic. In twin studies, identical twins showed a concordance rate of 33-90% for bipolar I and someone with a first-degree relative with bipolar disorder has a seven times greater risk of developing bipolar than the average person.”
But they are also presumably growing up the in the same household and being treated the same or exposed to the same behaviour. SOMETIMES it can be genetic, but don’t discount external factors.
“It’s genetic” is sometimes the case. However, if it is always assumed that things are caused by genetics- especially mental or psychological things- then we run the risk of
A- not looking for cures or ways to end the misery (since its “genetic”)
B- we blind ourselves to other possible causes (childhood abuse, or even abuse by society)
C- and we erase the connections between how we feel and the world around us. This creates an atmosphere where anyone can oppress or abuse someone in any way and then chalk their resulting reactions up to “genetics.”
We aren’t far away from that society. It’s called “context removal”. The context (Jane was oppressed by her society, gaslighted in school, etc), is removed, and replaced with (Jane’s genetics)- ergo, “Jane acts the way she does because of genetics.” This can only benefit the people who abused or oppressed Jane.
D- Some element of gaslighting is necessarily involved. (Google gaslighting- it may rid you of a lot of pain). Hearing “you feel/act/think this way because of your bipolar” is necessarily going to gaslight the listener. S/he will then become confused- “is what I feel caused by my genetics, or my “brain condition?” Huh.” Then the person will not know if the thing they are reacting to (maybe the oppression or abuse) is really bad or not, or whether or nt it even really happened.
“You think that because of your bipolar” is a godsend to people who want to hurt others, because they can convince the so-called “BP” and others around him that his reactions and perceptions and thoughts and beliefs and feelings and theories and knowledge all come from his BP and are not evidence of something really happening that needs to be addressed. It also (the gaslighting) has the effect of making him not trust his own perceptions and ability to see the truth. “that’s just my bipolar” speaking, he’ll say when he sees evidence of something wrong that bad people are doing.
“Bipolar Myth 2: Bipolar Disorder Is about Mood Swings
People have a misconception about bipolar (thanks TV and movies, mostly) that people with bipolar disorder are up one second, angry the next, and suicidal the moment after that…”
See my lettered answers above. This is another thing- Hollywood, which is controlled by the elite (who controll all media), wants to portray bipolars as “crazy” because it wants people to be afriad of them, or at least put them off. This way, no BPs (whose condition MAY have been caused by abuse/societal oppression) will connect with other people and be able to tattle on who or what happened to them. Or, if they do, they will just be written off as “crazy” (the “bipolars are prone to pranoia/conspiracy theories” bunk).
It’s a wet dream for the people who are ruining our society and lives. They can portray victims’ reactions as caused by “bipolar” and also scare other people, who may be able to help and who may be woken up to what’s really going on, away from the “BP” person.
“(Women tend to suffer rapid cycling variants more often than men, FYI.)”
yep, because women are crazy biatches, NOT because they are oppresssed more than men. See above, my paragraphs about calling someone crazy to shut them up or deny oppressoin is done to them. women, like blacks, have been historicaly called insane because of their “biology”, when really the way they are treated causes the problems. There is not reason- biological or other- for women to be more rapid cyclers than men (and you could make the case that the female period cycle is repetetive and predictable, unlike male hormones, so the opposite is the case). “She aint’ bein’ oppressed or troubled! It’s just her dang period!”
“Bipolar Myth 3: Bipolar Disorder Isn’t That Bad and Has Upsides
In the early 1990s it was estimated that bipolar disorder cost the economy 15.5 billion dollars annually due to lost productivity. But if that isn’t enough to convince you of the severity of bipolar disorder,”
It isn’t.
Boo fricken hoo. The factory owner/CEO didn’t make as much money this year because of your bipolar! Better get it fixed!
(Hey! Maybe those who are BP because of external issues (rather than genetics) are in many cases those who woke up to the futility of the rat race and the economic slavery of Americans! Gee, now we BETTER drug them, before they do anything worse! Like start a revolution!)
“consider this: up to half of all people with bipolar disorder will attempt suicide and up to 11% will die by suicide. If you suddenly contracted an illness where more than one-in-ten people died of it, I think you would consider it pretty severe. In case you were wondering, people with bipolar disorder also die sooner than the average person thanks to a greater risk for obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and metabolic syndrome.”
Yes. I totally agree with this part. But let’s look for the (nongenetic) causes of bipolar, not just treatments, which do nothing but make people miserable.
“As far as its upsides go, the only thing really scientifically proven is that people with bipolar disorder are often more creative than the average individual. Well, yippee for me.”
“Scientifically proven” to be more creative? Science cannot prove such a thing. Scientists, yet again, have overshot their range moreso than their religious counterparts ever could. Then again, what else to expect from these bums?
Creativity is a HUGE upside for many BPs, and many- and I know you don’t want to hear this- but many (maybe not most) BPs would rather have the traits they do than be “normal.” There are also obvious social benefits to creativity. Not to mention thinking outside the box, and the anger and irritation that fuels questions and protests. BPs, like I said above, are often made by circumstance, and why dull their reaction to and response to their circumstance? They can be the angered and intelligent knight who ends up slaying the dragon.
“Bipolar Myth 4; People with Bipolar Disorder Are Violent or Dangerous
According to the National Epidemiologic Survey on Al…”
Blah blah blah, experts, blah blah blah.
“we’re still talking about a sliver of people with bipolar disorder. More people die of bipolar disorder, times two, than are overtly aggressive with it.”
True. By making BPs and other mentally ill people out to be scary, they keep people away who might help them and who might be able to listen to them when the BP talks of things that need to be changed.
More bipolars are violent than non BPs, probably because of the reactions of people who talk to them, not the BP itself. Not that this CAUSES the violence- its still usually a choice- but any non mentally ill person who was treated adn talked to the way BPs are would be just as violent, if not more. It ain’t us special folk who are whooping and hollering at the football games adn swearing at our TVs…that be the normies!
“Bipolar Myth #5: People with Bipolar Disorder Shouldn’t Be in Relationships
…This is not true, however. People with bipolar disorder have an illness; yes, it’s true. This illness tends to pose a lifelong challenge; yes, it’s true. This illness can wear down a relationship; yes, it’s true.”
If we stop assuming it’s an illness and recognize that bipolar thoughts and moods and feelings, etc, are not an illness, but a normal reaction to an unhealthy world, and do not usually originate from within the person, we will be on a better track. BP is not a thing someone is or even “has”. It’s- in most cases, I’m convinced- a state of mind brought on by havnig different life circumstances than other people.
Bipolar is not what someone IS or HAS- it’s what someone DOES. If I believe one plus one is two, is there a name for that too? If I perceive something to be true, and then I react to it, of course my thoughts and behaviours and reactions will be different than someone who doesn’t perceive the thing or isn’t exposed to it. Saying “he has bipolar” is almost like ad hominem in some cases. It’s like saying “you think this because of what you ARE”, with no regard to the possible differences in life circumstances, exposure to different facts and contexts, and different ways of choosing to look at things that causes many bipolar thoughts.
Not that it is chosen, though, or under the person’s control. We can’t choose our life circumstances.
Bipolar is a word for persons who have certain thoughts, but the assumption, unfortunately, is that the PERSON hmself is of a different nature for thinking those thoughts. No such thing is true.
“Myths about Bipolar Hurt Those with Bipolar
The thing about myths about bipolar is they hurt people with bipolar disorder as they lead to bipolar prejudice and discrimination. If someone meets me and thinks that I’m a monster, then, of course they’re going to treat me badly, no matter how unfair that may be. So on this World Bipolar Awareness Day, please take a moment to educate yourself or a loved one about the facts about bipolar disorder. That real understanding can make the world better, and more accepting, for all.”
Agreed! Couldn’t have said it better myself.
#1 is from a site by Dr, John Phelps and even he notes it’s a “working hunch”.
In addition; science has not gotten there yet to say with some definitive evidence that it’s Bipolar creating and/or causing the shrinkage. Even if you want to, for the sake of arguing, say that it is… symptoms are broad spectrum in the sense that major depression in and of itself has been shown in some studies over the years to cause “ruts” or deviations in the brain – from what I’ve been told by several psychiatrists.
#2) My bipolar depressions last typically 3 months unless something externally within my environment (a stress or trigger, trauma or drama) kicks in and fs it up. I can then ratchet up into a nasty mixer, a high mania or a suicidal depression very quickly. Typically, however, the depressions are about 3 months and the hypomania/mania (cause I have had both) can last about 2-6 weeks.
#3) The obesity, cardiovascular illness, metabolic syndrome, etc. are primarily due to the pharma meds – yes, they are – yes yes yes they are… yes. Argue and disagree all we want and we will… the pharma meds cause the weight gain and the metabolic syndrome and the strain on the cardiovascular and the glandular and the insulin levels and the kidneys, etc…
#4) I had a coworker once tell our mutual manager that she was afraid of me and felt her life in mortal danger because she felt that I hated her. As such; she insisted that she be escorted by the security guard at all times AND then turned to me and told me that my brain was twisted and my twisted brain was messing my mind.
Now, she didn’t know I had Bipolar but she definitely was Psychopathic,,. oh most certainly. Not a thing was ever her fault and not a thing ever fazed her but herself and she always referred to her self in the 3rd narrative.
I did turn to her and to our mutual manager and said “I’d never hurt a soul. I’d hurt me long before I’d hurt another being. What the (hell) are you talking about?”
BTW… I couldn’t win… she then turned and said “see, I told you her brain was warped.” (pointing to me).
#5) Well… got little to no friends and even smaller family members. Folks love me when I’m up and energetic, moving and going, laughing and talking and socializing. They dread me when I’m dark, silent, moody, exhausted and seldom ever choose to leave the house.
Eventually… they just all drift away.
#1 I couldn’t care less if someone seems bipolar disorder as something we should be able to control and I loathe people who think they know better than my doctor and me concerning medications. I write them off as idiots and avoid them at all costs.
#3 Bipolar sucks, period, end of story. It has destroyed way too much of my ability to function for me to say,”Gosh, there is a good side to this.”
#5 I’ve been married for nearly 18 years. I have bipolar disorder. My husband has depression and anxiety. We have two children. One has autism and bipolar disorder, and the other has anxiety disorder. I have a feeling she just had her first hypomanic episode, but of course I can’t tell unless she falls into a depression. My worst fear came true last week when the doctor said my son had bipolar disorder. But I don’t believe we are the only family like this, and I think many people with bipolar disorder have good marriages and good lives, despite coping an utterly asinine amount of stress. We came close to divorce once, but doesn’t everyone at least once during their married lives?
Thank you, Natasha, for pointing out that there is a HUGE death rate for bipolar disorder. It always bugs me that people look at suicide differently than they do a death from anything else. Why? It’s a symptom of an illness! No one wants to commit suicide! No person in their right mind says,”Gee, I think I’ll kill myself today!”
I’m tired of the “angry person” stereotype of those of us with bipolar disorder. I do understand, however, that it is going to take years, if not decades, to get people to understand it better. It’s a really difficult illness to understand. When Robin Williams died, one of my non-mentally ill family members said,”I don’t understand depression at all. I can’t imagine feeling so bad I’d want to kill myself. But I try to understand it.”
And I think that’s all we want, is to have people try to understand.
Oh man, I remember always being asked if I was an artist? I was NOT. Shortly after I became ill, so ill, then suicidal then hospitalized. A lot later I was diagnosed Bipolar I. Got on meds gradually improving. I was paid to do finance and management $$$$ before. Now I AM an artist $…I always did like photography. I didn’t believe the connection. I do now. Thank You.
Creative? I’ll go with that. Higher productivity? Ummm… not exactly! In Hypomania, one may be very productive – I used to fill the “Staff Suggestion Scheme” box with lots of ideas, churning them out, sometimes several in a week. However, the quality of what is produced, that ain’t always so good! We think it’s wonderful stuff we churn out, we may believe our ideas and work are near-genius, the greatest thing since sliced bread… but when the high comes down, we often find what we imagined was brilliant was actually a crock of sh…! But not always!
Ultradian cycling: I read that a piece of research done a few years back suggested that this was more likely to occur in people who had long-term exposure to SSRI anti-depressants. However, the research could not say if this was reversible after the patient stops taking them. Worth keeping an eye out for further research on this, esp. peer reviews.
#3 is my favorite. I’d gladly hand off my disorder to anyone who thinks there are advantages of any kind. That’s just sadly naive.
I don’t know, if I were to read this when I was sexually active, and I knew I had a mental illness, it would be the BEST birth control ever. Those are some scary numbers.
Thanks Natasha, you are an amazing writer and researcher.
Well at least you are back tracking on the controversial post about relationships from years ago.
I like being creative and consider it a huge upside. I surprise myself and other people even more, and would hate to have this spontaneity stripped away from me.
Otherwise, an OK article which could have been a longer list than 5, or in several parts.