The Stigma

Today I want to tackle one of the least pleasant aspects of having bipolar disorder: the stigma that goes with it. There is exactly one media portrayal that is remotely in the realm of realistic, The Silver Linings Playbook, but it also portrays people with bipolar and mental health issues as being unable to control their behavior and prone to making massive public scenes of outrageous behavior. Do these extreme behaviors and outbursts sometimes happen? Yes, but not nearly as often as the media would have you believe.

Some of the stigma that accompanies bipolar stems from the modern belief that showing emotion or even having it, is somehow 'crazy' or 'melodramatic.' As bipolar disorder does involve feeling the greatest extremes of despair and euphoria, anger and excitement, those of us who have this illness actually do feel emotions more strongly than most people.

To be clear, I am not saying that all of the negative stigma is entirely undeserved. Many of the symptoms of this disease can and do cause extreme behavior during episodes. Promiscuity, substance abuse, and aggression often accompany both manic and depressive periods. Obviously these behaviors are not healthy for us or for those around us. But by and large, those who do not understand or know much about bipolar disorder tend to exaggerate how terrible it is for them to deal with-- often without considering how difficult it is to live with for those of us who have it.

However, a lot of the stigma that exists isn't deserved. Many people think that a person living with bipolar disorder is a ticking time bomb who will inevitably go off on a rampage of insanity. This is not the case. Someone who is properly medicated and managing their illness can actually see manic and depressive episodes coming and take actions to head them off. Even someone who is not fully engaged or actively treating their illness is not necessarily going to act out in an out of control fashion all the time, or even most of the time. With treatment and management, recognizing the onset of mania, depression, or mixed states means that we can prevent them from becoming all-consuming or dangerous.

You may notice that my last name is not included anywhere in my blog. That is because most employers these days check potential employees on the internet, and even such common things as posting Facebook photos of yourself getting drunk at a party can have a negative effect. While the Americans With Disabilities Act clearly states that it is illegal to discriminate against employees with mental health issues, all an employer needs to say is "we've found a more suitable candidate," to circumvent the issue.

I have only recently disclosed my diagnosis to some of my closest friends, because of the incredibly negative reactions that others have had. While only a small handful of people in my life are trustworthy and compassionate enough to know about and make an effort at understanding my illness, this is a fairly recent development. For more than ten years since my mental health issues have come to light, my own family did not understand it, and consequently did not understand how to help or support me.

There is only one solution to the stigma that accompanies bipolar disorder, and that is to educate others about the disease. The media may never be much help, but then, they portray love as consisting of steamy sex scenes and running through airports. Taking the time to explain the disease to individuals will help them to understand, and perhaps they will help others. Hope isn't always easy to come by with this illness, but hope is the starting point to building a better future for anyone.