In my last article, I talked about how many with bipolar disorder don’t have insight; so, the next question is, how do you develop insight into bipolar disorder if you recognize you don’t have it? Developing bipolar disorder insight isn’t necessarily easy – it requires looking inward and doing the work – but it is possible.
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Insight into bipolar disorder is critical. Insight into anyone’s life is a good idea but for those with a mental illness, it’s vital. It’s a big part of what makes managing bipolar disorder possible. But so many people don’t have insight into bipolar disorder. Why is that?
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I’ve talked about bipolar and rest before but now I want to add the concepts of choice and empowerment. I want to talk about how choosing rest because of bipolar disorder is actually empowering. I want to talk about taking some power away from the bipolar disorder.
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Mental illness is considered an invisible illness and that’s because there are many mental illness symptoms you can’t see. In fact, most of the worst symptoms of many mental illnesses can’t be seen. This causes many problems for people with mental illness. Because mental illness symptoms can’t be seen they’re often not thought of as real – but mental illness symptoms are as real as the pain of a two-by-four to the head, trust me.
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Childhood bipolar disorder is a scary proposition and that’s what makes the treatment of bipolar disorder in children so critical. I recently came across a Psychiatric Times article by Chris Aiken, MD that talks about treating children with bipolar disorder with lithium and I wanted to outlay the research findings Dr. Aiken talks about as well as my own thoughts.
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Some would argue trauma can cause bipolar disorder. I would argue bipolar itself, feels like a trauma. I’m not suggesting bipolar disorder de facto gives you posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but I am saying the trauma reactions seen in trauma survivors are similar to what I experience with chronic, obstructive, severe bipolar disorder.
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On Sunday, a mentally ill man ran down a family with his truck as they innocently rolled down a bike lane. There was no previous connection between the man and the family. The man with the mental illness spontaneously ran them down; the father suffered with fatal wounds while his two sons watched. The father was Pedro Aguerreberry of Tampa Florida and the man with mental illness was Mikese Morse. This is one in an unending series of tragedies that result from untreated/improperly treated serious mental illness.
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Doctors are sometimes dismissive of you when you have bipolar disorder. Believe me, this is true. Most of us have seen the “dismissive doctor” phenomenon firsthand. And not only are general practitioners often dismissive of bipolar patients but so are specialists and most everyone else in the medical profession (especially in the emergency department of a hospital). This isn’t all doctors, of course, many of us know great ones, but many of us also have also had legitimate medical concerns dismissed because of our bipolar disorder.
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It’s important to know that you can, and should, call or text a hotline (formally known in the U.S. as Lifeline) even if you’re not suicidal but are experiencing emotional distress. I’m serious about this. You don’t have to wait until you’re on death’s door to talk to a professional crisis worker. Yes, I know their title is “crisis” worker but really what they are is educated people that are there to help you when you need help – whether you’re formally in a “crisis” or not. In fact, calling or texting a hotline, Lifeline, when you’re not suicidal might be the best thing you can do to save your own life.
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