The stigma surrounding bipolar disorder can have a huge impact on our lives. Read these articles pertaining to stigma and living with bipolar disorder.
What are you afraid of? What are your limitations? What have you overcome? What makes you powerful? In short: Do you own your story? I am in the process of owning mine. Here is how I’ve made progress so far. “Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives...
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Having bipolar can rock your world, but take heart—there are some pros to all the cons. A diagnosis of bipolar disorder is a tough pill to swallow. From pharmaceutical decisions to disclosure decisions, it can become a crippling time of anxiety, frustration, and upheaval. That feeling of brokenness can be hard to shake, but remembering...
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If you choose to speak up about your experiences with bipolar disorder, and become an advocate, you take away the space stigma needs to thrive. I think the biggest takeaway from my years of working in the mental health sector is that the work we do is undervalued and we underestimate the energy – all...
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Stigma stings, but when it happens in your own backyard—our own families and friends not accepting us—it is especially hard to take. Stigma, no matter where it comes from, is insensitive and dehumanizing. But when discrimination comes from those we consider to be part of our inner circle—friends, family, co-workers, fellow worshipers, others we’d hope...
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Sometimes people are unaware that using mental health terms to describe everyday situations can cause harm to people by trivializing those mental health issues. Back in my days of mental health ignorance, when I didn’t know the difference between different disorders and thought everyone with a mental health issue was just “crazy,” certain things didn’t...
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As soon as people find out I have bipolar, their interactions with me change. It’s like, in their minds, bipolar becomes my singular defining feature. According to Forbes magazine, we have 7 seconds to make a first impression, good or bad. Imagine that—being judged based on so little time. When I tell someone who doesn’t...
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An epilogue, or writing at the end of a work, with facts about bipolar could help decrease stigma and misinformation about the condition. September 1, 2018, MORGANTOWN, WV—Adding an epilogue to a television show episode about bipolar disorder increases viewers’ positive views towards the disorder, a new study has found. American researchers had two...
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Interested in becoming a mental health advocate? There are many opportunities such as Mental Illness Awareness Week to join the movement! I like to be involved with the Depression Bipolar Support Alliance (who I just found), Mental Health America, the International Bipolar Foundation (IBPF), and National Alliance on Mental Illness. I sure don’t want to...
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Myths about bipolar can perpetuate stigma and unhelpful treatment strategies—so it’s important to learn the facts about living with this brain-based disorder. Hi. This is Karl Shallowhorn with the BPHope.com vlog. In this segment, I’m going to be talking about three of the myths associated with bipolar disorder. Myth #1 One of the myths...
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Stereotyping can come at unexpected moments and you may not know how to react—this can be fuel for your mission to combat stigma. By Carol Borrelli As a person with a mental health condition, and almost a lifetime of caring for others with one as well, countering stigma means the world to me. I...
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It can be difficult to talk to others about bipolar for many reasons—arming yourself with education and preparing examples can help. If I walk up to someone who doesn’t know anything about bipolar disorder and just tell them I have bipolar disorder, chances are very good there’s going to be a massive misunderstanding there....
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When people hurl insults at me, I use them to propel me into a hopeful mindset of staying in touch with my self-confidence and healthy pride. Unfortunately, in life, sometimes there are those that we encounter who will use our bipolar disorder diagnosis against us. This is to their shame, of course, and in reality...
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Publicizing your bipolar diagnosis can lead to both support and negative comments or “attacks,”. Here’s how you can handle the good and bad. I happen to be a very public person and I very publicly have bipolar disorder. Everyone who reads me, everyone who reads my book, anyone who sees anything to do with...
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Mental health conditions are just as difficult to endure as physical health conditions, such as colds, but why are they so much more difficult to talk about? Not long ago, I was knocked down flat by an uber-virus that everyone seemed to be catching. In the throes of my throbbing raw throat, faucet nostrils, and...
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I would like the world to know how hard it is to have this illness. How strong we are to manage it daily. I was recently asked the question: what would I like to change about the perception of bipolar disorder? In honor of World Bipolar Day, which is March 30th, I thought I...
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There is one simple thing we can do for ourselves and each other to overcome and eliminate stigma. It doesn’t take a lot, it just takes love. I have encountered a lot of people who have wanted to stigmatize me for having a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Sometimes it felt like they just wanted...
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Bipolar is certainly different than typical “moodiness”, however some people don’t understand this. Luckily, you can learn how to break it down for them. By Julie A. Fast You have probably heard the following: “Aren’t we all a bit bipolar? Everyone has moods! Why put a label on it?” The answer, born out of...
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Anticipating how friends and family will react to your diagnosis can be detrimental towards your mental wellbeing. Regardless, remain proud– there is nothing wrong with you. By Julie A. Fast I often receive questions on Facebook that are so loving and kind and filled with such longing to belong. The decision to tell people...
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Despite stigma and fears for his career, lawyer Reid Murtaugh decided being open about his bipolar II diagnosis was a vital part of his recovery. By Jennifer Goforth Gregory Lawyers often write articles for legal journals—about their firms, their cases, or their area of legal expertise. The piece Reid Murtaugh wrote for The Indiana...
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There may not always be a best time to tell someone about your diagnosis: You have to evaluate where you are in the relationship and how much you trust that person. By J.B. Burrage Dealing with bipolar disorder is already difficult on its own. But when is the right time to tell people that...
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