Mental Health Stigma of Bipolar

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When to disclose your diagnosis is a choice only you can make, after careful consideration In my previous column, I discussed considerations around whom to tell about a bipolar diagnosis. This time, before diving into questions of how to disclose and how much to disclose in upcoming columns, I’m addressing the tricky topic of timing....

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Those of us who write about our lives with bipolar have different motivations: enhancing public awareness, sharing information, combating stigma, providing hope and inspiration… While composing my memoir, I’m wondering about what to share and how—intention vs. impact, social value vs. personal risk. And when is it “too much”? Writing about Bipolar & Being an...

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As we learn more about our cognitive disorder, the brain/mind, and mood, it’s natural that the names of various diagnoses will evolve, or change. But I am not convinced that “bipolar disorder” is a good representation of what I (and others with this diagnosis) experience. Here’s why. In 1980, the DSM-III changed the name of...

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How much you choose to disclose depends on your individual circumstances, but just as importantly, it depends on who you are, what you believe, and where you want to go. A few years ago, I took a leap. After nearly a decade working as a full-time writer, I applied for a position as a creative...

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Recent events in the news have reminded me of my own experiences with the police before receiving effective treatment for my bipolar diagnosis, and they have brought up hard feelings of guilt and frustration. Here’s my story and how I am trying to bring about positive change. Encounters with Police Weren’t My Worst Problem Recently,...

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When people ask whether or not I’m “disabled” because of my bipolar, I choose my words carefully and answer with confidence. Because language, identity, and empowerment are not only important but also interconnected. Legally Speaking… After you receive a diagnosis, it is easy, I’ve found, to start to overidentify with it. This is why it’s...

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With empathy, honesty, and humor, Orchestrating Change follows the fascinating story of Me2/Orchestra, the world’s only classical music organization created for people living with mental health conditions and their supporters. Orchestrating Change, a moving new documentary that debuted on public television’s WORLD Channel (formerly PBS World) this fall, shines a spotlight on Me2/Orchestra—the world’s only...

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Those of us who live with bipolar are whole people, and our moods span the full spectrum of experience, not just mania and depression. During my training as a therapist, I faced exclusion, stigma, and a persistent misrepresentation of therapist as “healthy” and client as “sick.” Eventually, I had to say something. To Disclose or...

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On the one hand, characters with bipolar can demonstrate that treatment leads to stability. On the other, manic extremes make for better drama. “Surely there is someone out there who will take me for who I am: the good, the bad, the full story of love.” That’s award-winning actor Anne Hathaway as Lexi, prognosticating optimistically...

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When the people around me use words about mental health out of context and to describe something negatively, it puts me in an awkward position. Confronted with challenging emotions and questions, I feel unsure and possibly unwelcome. I’ll never forget the cold, rainy day I walked into work, and one of my coworkers complained that...

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It might help to know that I’ve never fully “accepted” the bipolar diagnosis. I still find it shocking that I have a mental health disorder. I’ve yet to find a peaceful place around my mood swings. This means I’m never complacent, and I’m always ready to find an even better way to stay stable. Acceptance...

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You don’t have to be diagnosed with bipolar to understand what it’s like to live with it every day. If you have a brain, you can relate. Here’s how the “normal” experience of mood overlaps with—and differs from—ours. If you have a friend or loved one with bipolar disorder, you have probably figured out by...

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Some people I care about misjudge me. We love each other. But some don’t—or won’t—accept what it’s like to live with this diagnosis. I used to run from them. But now I stand tall. Run? I used to be a runner. Like bipolar, that started in my teens, too. Back then, running staved off the...

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Mental health hospitals are often misunderstood and misjudged—by society and by each of us individually. Thankfully, I’ve also discovered that “society” is not one person. Not everyone carries a negative bias about psychiatric care. Stigmatized Institutions I have found that there is plenty of stigma when it comes to the wider world’s perception of mental...

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I excitedly cheered on a cancer survivor as she threw the ceremonial first pitch at a local ball game. Then I couldn’t help but wonder … will those of us who are striving hard, every day, for bipolar stability be recognized, too? Public Support This past year, Las Vegas got a new AAA baseball team...

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I have my unhealthy vices. I’m human. I struggle every day. Besides having a life-saving support system, no matter what, we have to take care of ourselves. These last few months haven’t been the easiest for me. While a lot of positive things have happened, a lot of things have tested me, too. And some...

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My diagnosis of bipolar I disorder gave me an explanation for my symptoms, but not relief. Forget the painful social stigma—I was stigmatizing myself. When people who take psychiatric medications are burdened with guilt and shame from stigmatizing themselves, this is proof of an obvious problem in our world. Sometimes, being diagnosed with a mental...

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How are we supposed to feel when others make bipolar disorder the butt of a joke? “The Bipolar” There I was, in the bakery on a lovely Saturday morning, perusing the case of freshly made donuts and the hilarious names that they had been given. I saw one called “Cereal Killer,” which is a donut...

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For those with a dual diagnosis of bipolar plus substance use, entertainment journalist Conor Bezane has been there, done that—and he compiles inspiring peer stories to share. Entertainment journalist Conor Bezane fell in love with punk rock as a teenager, snagged a Rolling Stone internship in college, and logged six years as a writer/producer at MTV News. Then came...

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Do you feel as if you are walking around with the words “bipolar disorder” stuck to your forehead? Or that the diagnosis is a tight box you’ve been crammed into? I don’t. Quite the opposite! Here is how my diagnosis set me on a path to freedom and healing. What’s in a Name? I often...