Bipolar disorder.

     It is fashionable for people to say they are bipolar and much joking is made about the disorder.  I have much to say about the portrayal of the mentally ill; be it in film, news, or comedy.  What is bipolar?  Rapid mood swings?  That is a gross over simplification of it and is about as stereotypical as it gets.  There are many "flavors" of bipolarity (so to speak).  People with bipolar disorder can have a wide range of base levels and added features.  Some may be depressed more often than manic and have brief manic cycles, some may be more the opposite.  Some people with the disorder can go without being detected because when they have a manic episode they only become what is known as "hypo-manic."  That is to say, they become the type of person everyone wants to be.  The experience is different for any two people that share the same disorder and it is about as useful to say "bipolar" as it is to say "Caucasian."

     But what does the media tell us about the mentally ill?  They are all dangerous.  Any time someone with any kind of mental illness commits a crime (which they are no more likely to do than any other person), it is brought up that they had a mental illness.  Why is this any more important than saying they had diabetes?  Why is it that people are so afraid?  Is it because of decades of what film has told us?  There is such misinformation about mental health in general that especially in smaller communities it borders on total ignorance of the subject.

     Are all people with mental illness dangerous or unstable?  Are all "black" people murdering rapists?  Or all "white" people bigoted rednecks?  How many people out there see a therapist?  Or take medication for anxiety?  How many people are ashamed by this?  Perhaps that is what it is, the mentally ill are shamed into not defending their position and are left to be attacked by those who care little to understand the issues at hand.

     Though many mental illnesses are used against the ill, the two that I feel are most misunderstood are bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.  Falling in the middle of this battleground is schizo-effective disorder, which I will talk about later.  People with bipolar are thought of as often irrational, emotional, unstable, unpredictable, or even worse.  As someone with bipolar I managed to keep a job (without the aid of either medication or therapy) for many years, as well as date and marry the love of my life!  With medication and therapy I am confident I can do much more, and when properly treated a person with bipolar is the same as anyone else who has to take medication (be it for mental or physical health).

     People with mental illness are often considered of below average intelligence as well.  A good friend of mine has mental health issues and was told by a lawyer that they were too smart to have a mental illness!  How asinine is that?  Why do these stereotypes exist and what can be done to change them?  Perhaps it is best to think that standing next to you as you get your morning coffee, the guy next to you?  He hears voices.  That nice attendant at the grocery store that checked your groceries?  She is terrified of people and has to take a pill just to get out of her house.  You are surrounded by the mentally ill every day.  And they are just as normal as you are.
--JJM