Know what bipolar disorder is
Today I decided to share a bit of knowledge about my condition. The reason for this is that lately, I have been reading online about the perception of people about those who live with bipolar disorder.
And as expected, I did not have a fun time reading it. Mostly because other people's opinion are rooted in ignorance yet they act as if they know everything there is to know about bipolar disorder.
This article is not meant as an attack or insult nor does it mean to offend anyone. It is simply my hope that there will be people who read this and understand a bit more about what I, and many others, have to live through.
Let's talk about mental illness
In our country, the Philippines, the stigma surrounding mental illness is a difficult thing to ignore. Sure, the state of mental health support is better now than it was before but we still have a lpng way to go. And I know that many countries also struggle with these same kind of stigma.
The first and most likely statement that one would hear after sharing their diagnosis is that mental illnesses are made up, and are just in our minds.
I honestly have to laugh at this one because obviously the illness is in the mind, it is literally called "mental" illness. But I know that they say this to diminish the term illness.
They say this to say that the illness is just our imagination and therefore must not affect reality.
But contrary to their opinion, mental illnesses are shown to affect the chemical composition of the brain itself. Yes, the organ in charge of all the functions of a human body is physically and chemically affected.
Those diagnosed with mental illness are shown to have a chemical imbalance in their brains which causes the symptoms that they struggle with.
It is not going to go away with just a prayer or by doing daily meditations. In fact, untreated mental illnesses tend to get worse as years go by.
We are not weak
Will you tell someone with a broken bone they are weak for seeing a doctor?
Will you ask those with diabetes to stop taking their medication because they are in control of their body and does not need those pills?
Will you say the same kind of cpmments you utter to those with mental illness to any other person struggling with a different illness affecting a different organ?
If your answer is no to all questions, I wish you would think twice and hard about where the hate is coming from when it comes to those with mental illness. Ask yourself why you think the brain is a silly organ that you can ignore when it is ill. Even though the brain is the one in charge of the body.
What is bipolar disorder?
Bipolar disorder was previously known as manic depression. It is a mood disorder characterized by extreme highs and lows. But not all people with bipolar are the same.
Some struggle with bipolar 1, which is a type of bipolar where a manic episode has occured. Most times, hospitalization is needed for those in a manic state to stop them from hurtin themselves or others. Depressive episode may or may not occur in this type of bipolar.
Manic episode may look like reckless spendin where a person keep shopping online even when they are already in debt. It may also look like being the life of the party, drinking alcohol nonstop.
Some may have a misconception that being manic equals to being super creative. While it may be true that a manic episode includes high amount of energy, the product produced this time period are not as well made as the times when the mood is stable.
Why? Because in a manic episode the concentration of the individual is not great. Most times an individual would have so many things they want to do and they try to finish it at the same time. The end result would be a lot of WIPs with no finished product.
This type of bipolar also includes illusions of grandeur that is far from reality. A person may believe that they pwn big companies and have endless ampunt of money even though they are already in debt. But their condition does not let them see that. Their reality is that they are the owner of a big company and have endless amount of money.
Next is bipolar 2 which is characterized by hypomanic episodes and major depressive episodes. Some people have the misconception of thinking that bipolar 2 is the "less severe" type. Thisis because full-blown mania does not occur in this type, but the depressive episodes are debilitating and can cause much damage to those with bipolar and the people surrounding them.
Hypomania is a watered down version of mania. It may look like impulsive buying. Or impulsively investing in things without researching. Most times this would cause a damage in one's life either financially or in terms of relationships.
And then there is the rapid cycling bipolar characterized by immediate mood swings. And there are others which do not meet the qualifications of the aforementioned types.
Closing words
These are knowledge I learned from attending therapy, seeking psychiatric assitance as well as reading the assignments given to me by these mental health professionals.
It is also important to remember that not everyone diagnosed experiences bipolar disorder in the same way. So keep an open mind when meeting a person with bipolar instead of acting you know everything about their condition.
I still have much to say but I am already getting sleepy from my medication so I will end it here.
If you suspect anyone you know to have this condition, make sure to help them get the help they need. Remember that when left untreated, bipolar disorder tends to get worse as a person gets older.
Also, do not go arround diagnosing people. Even mental health professionals can not diagnose people outside of the consultation set up.
Next time, I want to share some thoughts about how people perceived those with bipolar. Some of these include but are not limited to being cheaters, are dangerous, can not be trusted, are super creative, can not keep a job, etc.
I wish to do my part in being a mental health advocate, and that includes the hard part of sharing information with no assurance that it will be well-received.
On a side note:
I actually received a pretty insensitive and ignorant comment before right here on read.cash. This is the reason why I have not been interacting with those who commented with my articles since I have stopped from reading them for peace of mind. I will try my best to start being interactive again though.
Thank you for reading this article!
If you want to read some more articles of mine, I have monthly summaries here:
December 2021 Articles Summary
November 2021 Articles Summary
Thanks for this article sis. I already know what bipolar disorder means. This is known as manic depression.