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Tag: blame

Blaming Others for Bipolar Disorder

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Nov 7, 2013

It’s very natural to be angry when something egregiously bad – like getting bipolar disorder – happens to you. It’s not necessarily rational, per se, but it is normal. And when we’re mad about something we look for someone or something to blame. We look for someone to blame for our bipolar disorder. Again, this isn’t a rational, or even conscious thing, it’s really just a natural reaction to an extremely unfortunate situation, but it really isn’t healthy.

Mental Illness – It’s Your Fault

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Jun 13, 2012

One of the frustrating things about having a mental illness is how often people say (or intimate) that the mental illness is your fault. Oh sure, they might not come right out and say, “You’re to blame for your bipolar,” (although some people do) but they might just say:

You wouldn’t be bipolar if you didn’t take all those meds
Your diet [eating wheat, dairy, etc.] is causing your mental illness
You wouldn’t be depressed if you exercised more
Your mental illness is “all in your head”
Your bipolar is made up by your psychiatrist
Mental illness is your punishment for not being Christian (or not being faithful enough)

And so on and so forth pretty much until my head is about to explode.

But here’s a newsflash – mental illness isn’t your fault. My bipolar isn’t my fault. No illness is the sufferer’s fault and I’m tired of having to defend myself to others just because my illness is “mental.”