I have been taking some heat in the comment sections of posts where I present an alternative view on bipolar disorder. The goals with those posts is to present a view on bipolar that may be unpopular with some people, but is held among many many health professionals.

It is not a secret that bipolar disorder is being diagnosed at increasing rates, which also corresponds with the development of new, heavily marketed treatments. But drug company theories aside, many adults with psychological and family problems, and kids with behavioral problems are diagnosed with bipolar disorder, something that many people believe at it’s core has a biological cause.

Now, when people who are having chaotic responses to unhealthy home environments, or have other undiagnosed personality issues are being diagnosed as bipolar, an assumption is made that they have a biological illness. When this assumption is made, people often feel like their only solution is medication, leaving their undiagnosed family and personality problems intact.

Obviously there are people with a serious condition that is bipolar disorder, and I hope everyone with this is getting the medical treatment they need. But for the other folks, I hope they also explore therapy and other possibilities, rather than operate as if they have no control over their lives, because you do.

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    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 17 Sep 2007
    Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.