Top Ten Terrific Things About Bipolar Disorder
- Creativity. Visual arts, performance, writing, music; in all the arts bipolar talent is common and sometimes exceptional. Patty Duke, Ernest Hemingway, Trent Reznor, Sylvia Plath, many more. The link between bipolar disorder and creativity is well-established, though further study …
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Thank you for showing another side to bipolar. My husband is bp and over the years I have lost the memory of the “good parts” of this mental illness.
I hate that my husband’s more interesting parts of his illness is blunted by his meds, but at some point he needed respite and so did I.
Two corrections to the above: 1) Kay Redfield Jamison is a psychologist and not a psychiatrist; 2) in her book _Exuberance: The Passion for Life_ she was not talking about feelings/moods associated with mood disorders.
i would just like to balance up the scale of BI-POLAR you decribe as quite exciting artistic adventure,that maybe for some people but you also have to describe the other end of the scale , which isnt as glamourous for those who live it , like unemployment, a reclusive lifestyle,dark days you cant get out of bed, the lonliness,the torture in your own head that no one can understand,the failed relationships the financial mess we so often get in,the constant daily routine of medicines , doctors , community practice nurses , hospitals,psychiatrists, and that is only a brief description,
so yes some people do come out on top with BP if they are lucky, but the majority of us are still at the bottom struggling with simple everyday life
thanks for your comment. although reading the list of all positives give me hope ( even if it is somewhat false hope maybe) your comment is validation that I am not alone. Much appreciated thanks for sharing your experience…
I agree!! My life is certainly no ride on a carousel with Mary Poppins!
For some reason, some (non Bipolar) people want to knit romanticism and exotic mysteries into our illness… but its tosh.
Im not too bad now since I was put on a tonne of mood stabilisers including dangerous Lithium…but my life was a manic cycle up and down for years before I was diagnosed. I thought I was the most important person in the world and everyone was out of step except me!
Closing your eyes at night and millions of things in your head at once, opening your eyes again and three days later your still awake… man… I assure you, you do not want this baby!
Hi KC – you make some good points, there are many troubles that come with bipolar disorders and they are what I write about most of the time. This list was meant to inject a little positivity. As Rena commented above, it’s nice to think about the “good parts” once in a while.
Steven – Kay Redfield Jamison is Professor of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University.
Thanks for the comments!
Thank you for this top ten list.i was searching on google for a list of the pros of having Bipolar, and hey i found it. i was diagnosed with BP back in 2001. When i was fist introduced to the idea that i had bipolar disorder i hated it it(A LOT!!). like many people when they are told they are BP it takes some time to accept it. in the past 3 years or so i have lerned to accept my disorder and in fact i like that i am polar. i think it increases my ability to think out side the box. witch helps me with my inventions. witch is just terrific!!! =)
That IS terrific, Bryan! Cheers.
Thanks for the top ten list! Recently I have felt quite maligned by others, unfortunately those closest to me, who at times I guess have had it with my over the top behavior in some areas. For example, working on a volunteer project with obsession for weeks at a time, at all hours. “Why are you getting this involved?” they might ask. Well, because I have the capacity to show great passion about something! It was nice to be reminded that there are reasons we with bipolar can be appreciated for the positives we can bring to the world (some grandiose thinking!)
I have fallen in love with someone with bipolar disorder and I have had a very hard time dealing with his inconsistant behavior. This list makes me realize all the reasons I do love him and encourages me to stick it out. Thank you!
My ex just served me papers for custody of our two children. The brunt of his argument is that my bipolar III negatively effects my parenting ability. Your list will help illuminate the great aspects of what is for me, a minor handicap. Thanks for the “other side”.
Having gone through numerous manias, I am founded in my belief that mania is extremely dangerous. Just one manic episode can ruin friendships, diminish job opportunities, strain family relations, and cause loads of shame, embarrassment, and doubt in your own sanity. Delusions are terrifying, not terrific. Bipolar mania does NOT spread happiness. Being happy is much different from being hypomanic. Reckless behavior that accompanies mania can harm not only yourself, but others as well. Driving while manic is just as dangerous as driving drunk. Mania has only been suffering for my friends, family, coworkers, and myself. Sure, the hypomanic creativity is wonderful, but the actual manias are hell. As a whole, I agree that bipolar people have a lot of courage, valuable life experience, strength, resilience, and unique insight. However, it is drastically import that these people, including myself, remain on medication that prevents mania from occuring altogether.
summer,
thanks for sharing your insight. very well said and i very much relate to your experience.
This is mainkly a crock. There is nothing inherently good, or positive about mental illness or instability. Those other good traits…they exist in people who do not have potentially devastating psychiatric and emotional problems. Bipolar disorder makes people paranoid, delusional, emotionally brittle, weak, untrustable and miserable. It shatters their self-image (or perhaps their bipolar state is a productr of a weak self-concept to begin with). They are routinely hurtful to those closest to them, and never stop accusing, or feeling persecuted. It’s like psychosis lite. Even among high-functioning individuals, the effects of bipolar disorder are hell on their loved ones…not to mention the bipolars themselves. They need so much support, and can offer so little in return. It’s very sad. Although that’s life. I believe people get better, and I’ve seen real improvement in someone very close to me-after she quit her meds. But at the core, after years of being close to her, I still believe she is subtly, though fundamentally paranoid, and mildly delusional about her relationships. There is a mild thought disorder going on there. And the emotional volatility, coupled with child-like weakness (peppered liberally with a tendency to pitch fits over trivial matters-these have the effect of making the loved one (spouse, lover, etc.) feel like a punching bag. You always lose. I think that her healing is ongoing, and she will one day substantially outgrow her problems, but I may not be around to see it, because it’s hell.
I have bipolar and agree with every one of these points… Exuberantly!
Hi, thank you so much for taking the time to write down the positives of this disorder. I’m currently 21 and a dynamic student, diagnosed a year ago with BPD. I’m having trouble on what path to take, what passion(s) to pursue. After reading this I feel like I can start loving who I am and live more richly. Thank you.
I’d agree with most of your “terrific things” — though some may be more wishful thinking than fact — but the reality is that once you’re diagnosed as being bipolar, you’re often prescribed multiple medications. And often times those medications can really stifle your creativity, energy, “courage” and other “terrific things”. So even though the depressive/manic episodes may be milder and less frequent, some bipolars must sacrifice the best parts of being bipolar in order to be considered “normal”.
Change your meds, you do not have to give up positives.
I must admit I am a lot of those things…however when a person lives in hypomania eventually they crash. For decades I did more before work than most people did all day. I never stopped. I was a multi-tasker never wasting a moment. Environmental factors play a huge role in your life. The company one keeps is important. Still there are dark days when no one can reach me. And yes…I used to like to shop shop shop. I like nice things. Who doesn’t? I was also very generous. I am no longer hypomanic due to the medication I was put on after I finally crashed. I wish I was. There are other factors that play into my lack of hypomania I care not to mention. As I said environment plays a big role. Anyway… THIS DESCRIBES ME IN A NUTSHELL! NO pun intended. It’s what I have not what I am. Genetics gave it to me and I have learned to live with it.
My husband went to his psychologist today and the PhD said that I am exhibiting signs of my bipolarness when I do projects like erecting a heavy-duty clothesline that will last for years, making my own solar powered water heater and researching plans to construct a wind generator. I use no electricity to dry my clothes or heat my water – which saves a lot of money. Once I get the wind generator going (installed by a licensed electrician of course – I’m not that crazy) I’ll be saving even more money. So if having the initiative to try things other people don’t is a sign of mental illness, I’m fine with that. A PhD can call me a raving lunatic if he wants to, I’m saving money. I bet he still pays for his hot water (who’s the crazy one?). My husband and I are both bipolar and so is our daughter. We are all well medicated and our life is good. There will always be people who will say negative things about us just because they think they can. It doesn’t make them right. Be creative. Be innovative. Be bipolar positive.
I love the positives of BP. Though the negatives do suck, it is the positives that at least I must stick with during times of drawl and depression.
Thanks for the list and blessings from me to all you other BP people out there – keep on the up and up now matter how hard it can be.
Thanks Amanda and everybody else who participated in this conversation. I once told some people close to me that I think in the end God will forgive all of us. – by the way there is a living GOD called the ALMIGHTY and well naturally several other small GODS.
They said i was Crazy, took me to a physch and had me tranquilised with Chloropromazine. – because they say,that was a delusion of grandiose I thought I was God.
A better physchiatrist has now after 10 years came up with an accurate diagnosis – I am Bipolar and now just like Amanda I am trying to harness the free energy from the sun to use as electricity instead of burning coal – primitive practice and pollutive. Call that innovation. For example I think if I sit down and read a little bit today I can with the help of Amanda solve the credit crunch issue currently threatening the world. email me directly on sindisobhebhee@yahoo.ca – I am currently limiting my creativity with Sodium Valproate, – On discharge from the lunatics ward, i have personally cut down the dosage to 50 mg instead of the mind altering 400mg. I prefer not to fidgit with the mind especially a bipolar one because this is the best disease there ever was. Amen.
thanks alot you just set off like 50 episodes from crazy bi-polars who are arguing over the validity of this article
**pops meds**
I agree with all of you on some level but I must say that I love having bipolar. Because of this I get to be interesting. I am very creative, stoked to be alive (lol some days) and very passionate. Most people don’t get to experince even one of these as intensly as I do and I go through these emotions at least once a month… it’s not so bad.I know we’ll be just fine when we learn to love the ride. Then again maybe I should read this when I’m heading into that downward spiral. It’s very strange for me to think that I don’t control my emotions. Infact just the opposite.
Honestly, I have been dealing with bipolar disorder for about 5 years. It has ruined MANY relationships, opportunities, and pretty much everything that has mattered most to me. On a “good” day…I feel I can do ANYTHING. I am postitive and ready to go…then the next day I can barely get out of bed…which is very difficult when you are in an intense program and need to graduate. I never knew i had it in highscool and it wasnt until I graduated that I found out and it really explained my whole life. I hate being bipolar…and although, I admit to being very creative and also intelligent on subjects I know nothing about…I’d take being normal over this ANY DAY. I would like to just LIVE MY DARN LIFE!!! Wake up….and do everything i set out to do…not want to crawl in bed and sleep for days!
I recently found out I am bipolar. I too have to admit i wasn’t too happy hearing it…but once I got informed about the illness it did explain a lot of my strange behavior. I always understood I was depressed and I knew it always came and gone…I also knew I had anger issues. I knew the ways I was acting but I never thought they had a connection. I never thought of putting it all together and naming it (which turns out to be that very thing, Bipolar). I always thought, its just me, thats how and who I am…but now that I know what I have, I know I can control my triggers and emotions better. I dont take any meds I just observe everything around me and try my best to not give into my moods or triggers. I do have to admit I like being bipolar, it makes me who I am and does make me a very interesting person. Im the most creative person in my whole family. I love to figure things out and put pieces together. I love to draw, paint, and stare at things and know theres gotta be more. Im a photographer, I love to take pictures and edit them, making graphic designs, making people look like models and my work look like that of a magazine. So, for the most part its a blessing to “different” because no one understands why your sooooo good and pssionate to everything you do. But its also a burden when you want to sleep all day and your family and friends want to hang out and do things that you simply cant. All in all, it works out because you cant get to the top without being at the bottom. if you would like to talk or have anything to say just email me i’d me more than happy to hear from you. pearls098@yahoo.com
My brother, both my sisters and father all have bipolar disorder, and I’ve honestly never really understood it before, but this actually helped
I don’t believe that Bipolar Disorder or Schizoprenia people are extra-ordinary talent. It is just propaganda. My spouse recently diognosed as a Bipolar. Her one brother has Schizoprenia, which is the cousine of Bipolar. Her another brother has also Bipolar. Before you get married to any Bipolar, be very very careful. This bipolar illness you will pass to your Kids.It is a Inherited illness. You should not take any kids if you have Bipolar . Any comments?
You must think of the positives of Bipolar if you wish to lead a happy life. And there are many. You must be like Winston Churchill, Theodore Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln and overcome your depression. To some degree thinking that you must overcome this silly thing will get you from one bad day to the next good day. Dealing with struggle makes other struggle easier to deal with. That may be why we have so many leaders who struggle with depression.
it is not those who seek to lead a happy and full filling life that are stuck in constant despair. For even those in despair can know that the light will return. All those who see that bipolar is no more than a mosquito that needs to be squashed will realize that that you must think positively- train your self to do so. It is only those who give up, who fail to try, that will be left behind. and i say this as someone who has been through hell and returned time and time again knowing that nothing can keep me from leading the life I deserve. A wise man once said “If your going through hell, keep going”. His name was Winston Churchill and he struggled with his depression, and he helped defeat Nazi Germany and save western civilization.
Being bipolar is hell. I have been on current meds for around a year. The meds make me really tired; however, I am much more stable. My mind is sharper. I am playing really good tennis now that my meds are dialed in – much better than before the meds. But my creative side, especially my painting, has really dropped.
John_w
Take the meds with caution and knowledge that they do make the mind blunt especially affectimg your creativity. Try to reach a good balance that you can happily and productively live on.
I hate what Bipolar Disorder has done to my life over the past five years and the fact that It controlles my life.
In the space of five years I have lost everything i once loved ,the great relationship i shared with my family, I have lost all my friends, all my hobbies and my life is made impossible at uni as I am all over the place and just dont care which results in me being unable to get module work in on time.
on the good days I feel like i am able to take on the world and need little sleep but then the next day i can barely get out of bed and have no energy and become increasingly depressed and suicidal.
I hate that anyone thinks that there are upsides to this illness because all it does is ruin peoples lives!!!!!!
First of all, I would like to call out “kundu” and yes i do have a comment for you i think what you said is total BS and you should really re-think what you write on these message boards. You don’t think that people with bp should reproduce? Well i do have bp and i think that having children is a blessing to ANYONE mentally ill or not. So for the record screw off you ASS! To all the rest whether you are suffering form this illness or not, I would say live your life and deal with the struggles the best you can. It is not a very bad thing living with this illness you just have to know how to deal with it. One thing I would say not to do is sit on here and blog about how terrible your life is when you should instead be out there being proactive and leading a healthy normal life. *nuff said
‘This bipolar illness you will pass to your Kids.It is a Inherited illness. You should not take any kids if you have Bipolar . Any comments?’
This is got to be the biggest load of rubbish I have ever read. There are lots of parents out there raising very healthy children. The person who wrote this needs to stand back and not judge so much. I am with Johnny Buzz on this one.
Ok..after reading some nice comments and not so nice “semi-book like” paragraphs,I tend to agree to ALL!..Yes all!..I’m bi-polar and I myself like the idea that I could be some grand inventor and liked by all. But the truth of the matter is that when I’m not having an episode that I’m really only the average “JOE”. I love, laugh, feel, just like evryone else. BUT !..Ehrn my episodes come-a-knockin’ then Katy Bar The DOORS!..Everyone around me receives the punishment that I give for just breathing the wrong way. I have done and said things that belittle my friends my children, and my wife. And because I’m BIPOLAR ithat makes it OK?!! Deal with my moods or go!..and when they go…You’re left to the sounds of crickets in the background! Then you come back to reality and realise what you have said and done and get even angrier at yourself. But don’t you “norms” ever let us “polars” trick you…we know the episode is coming!..we just tend not to let you in on it!..WE KNOW… I’ve actually tried but to no avail letting my spouse know when I feel it coming. It’s only fair to sound the tornado horn for the city when you see it coming right?!.. Not for the TORNADO!!! Because when she didn’t hear the signal she got mad because she was angry at me already and I told her that I was feeling shaky and she had my nerves at their end. Not wanting to argue I told her ” I don’t want to argue” but then the next thing I knew was I was a Different person. Not the iquisitive,artistic, fun loving guy now huh?..I was “artistic” with my words..
But all said and done thanks for the pros on bi-polar disease..it does feel good to be me when i’m MANIC anyhow lol
Love this quote!!
“But don’t you “norms” ever let us “polars” trick you…we know the episode is coming!..we just tend not to let you in on it!..WE KNOW… ”
I can feel it coming, and unless I feel mania coming on I begin to take measures to prevent the downfall.
I also think this article is refering more to the manic part of bipolar.
Bipolar can take you to the darkest places, and I really appreciate reading what can bring me back up.
THANKS TO THE AUTHOR!!
Beeing bipolar is a talent. If you learn where to focus your energy it can create exceptional things. I agree that you cannot live a normal life. You can’t have a normal relationship and most of the times no real friends. That my friends is liberating. I focus all my energy on learning activities that I can follow also when I am depressed and to creative activities that I can follow when I am better. It took me years to find my formula but now the results and hapiness I experience is incredible. I love my depression, I love my hypomania, I love to re invent myself all the time. I love my life. You just need to find your own unconventional formula.
Out of my experience, normal people ( doctors included) won’t understand you.
We bipolars need the Chaos. It’s our destiny to play with it.
Cheers!!!!!!!!!
yea you know life gets really tough you know with bi polar in all but i can admit when i have my highs its almost worth all the pain or it is i should say, my dad has bi polar so its nice to know i have a real freind, and you know if we learn to use it right and pray like me im an awsome wrestler and i mean ima natural i can use my thoughts racing to destroy my opponents and you know really stick out, so message saying for our struggles we have our benifits(super powers) as i call it, that make us distinct,you know also i would say i have like an all knowing sence like knowing things that happen before they happen
I would love to believe my illness has something to do with being more intelligent or creative. What I really feel is that it is a daily struggle to appear normal. I can’t talk too fast or show too much energy or move too slow. It is a constant balancing act so no one will know I am different. I hate it to be honest. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone and I would give anything not to have it. It has made romantic relationships impossible, friendship strained and in general made my life really hard.
I am 20 years old and was diagnosed with Bipolar when I was 11. After going in and out of the hospital and different placements for years I have found that once you get use to it it’s really not that bad. My case is very extreme and I will admit there are down sides to it but the upsides are Awesome! You can do so much more then the average person and you learn things much quicker.
….after reading this I know I have to go to the doctors because this is obviously what has been wrong with me all this time but I have also realised I am drawn to other’s like me because I find them more interesting than ‘normal’ people.
The world would be a very boring place if everyone who is bipolar had it under control.lol
Guys, the article is called “Top Ten Terrific Things About Bipolar Disorder”. It’s not supposed to be some all-around report on the thing, and it is not. This author has been very understanding with you, and you owe her 1) gratitude, and 2) an APOLOGY.
I can only assume that the people who think this article is some sin to the world (reproducing? really? mightn’t a child inherit your baldness/high cholesterol/PMS/arthritis/Alzheimer’s/low IQ?) have never had to look on the bright side of anything. Lazy, maleific, and appalling!
We KNOW bipolar is this “horrible affliction”! This is here to remind people that they are not garbage when they are feeling down. It’s jerks like reproduction-dude that make these articles *necessary*!… whatever, be a jerk, but don’t you get in the way of anyone else’s comfort or joy.
I can only imagine (if I hadn’t seen it right here with my own eyes) what your kids will pick up from you.
Love,
“Dances With Manic-Depressives”.
I totally agree with your response to Hayley Taylor!
Bipolar is not a mental illness. Come on think of it – if one can imagine things that others cannot is that madness? – Horatio there are so many things unknown than the mind can even imagine. I mean imagine.
You know what Guys, I’m actually glad that someone has something positive to say. Believe me, I have bipolar and I have been to hell and back with it. I’ve lost everything, job, money, home – luckily my friends have always stood firm and so has my wonderful partner despite the difficulty he must face from time to time.
But you will never beat this illness while ever you are bitter about it. God knows you’ve every right to feel bitter, but there comes a day when you have to turn around, face it square on and say to yourself, ok, it’s a fact, I’ve got this thing, it’s not going to go away so I have to latch on to the thinnest slivers of positivity that I can find and fight it.
Have you seen how many people there are out there decking people like me? tarring us all with one brush? I was reading a forum today about how awful ‘they’ are (people with bipolar) and then listing all ‘their’ personality flaws – bonkers, no concept of the fact that we are all different and cope with Bipolar in different ways, no understanding of the many different types of bipolar either – If we are bitter about all this, blame everything that goes wrong on it – it isn’t going to help the way mental health issues are percieved and it won’t help us to cope with our problems either.
I’m not going to get upset because someone says something positive about bipolar – ok so it’s a little bit misty eyed in it’s reality – but what the hell – I’m looking for hope under every pebble there is. Thank you for being positive – there’s too much negativity pulling us down out there and believe me, most of us don’t need any help getting down about life! But we do need help to feel better about ourselves.
Most people who say that bipolar doesn’t have positives is obviously not bipolar, and the bipolar people who say there are no positives are probably in the depressive stage of their cycle and are seeing many things in a negative light anyway. People forget, or don’t know that, Leonardo Da Vinci is thought to have had bipolar of some sort. If I remember correctly, he started something like 60 paintings and only finished 16. But those are some of the most renowned works ever. He had mood swings and was a recluse from what I remember as well. He was, with little contest, one of the most brilliant and creative thinkers and probably THE most brilliant and creative thinker in all history.
There probably was and is an evolutionary benefit to having bipoolar. Bipolar people, people who aren’t afraid to go against the grain for progress of all sorts. We’re people, who are probably responsible in large part for many if not most of the worlds innovations and breakthroughs in thinking, science and reasoning, and the arts.
Many genetic conditions have some kind of evolutionary benefit. For instance, there’s a negative to having sickle-cell anemia but there’s also a positive, which is a substantial increase in malaria survivabilty which is why the gene was selected exlusively in African populations.
Psychopathy (psychopaths and sociopaths, think Ted Bundy but also think many of the CEO’s and politicians in the world) is also probably evolutionarily beneficial…as unfortunate as that sounds. But hey, evolution isn’t known for tailoring itself to our will. Although, I have to say that my bias (having a conscience) and my hunch tells me that the world would probably, as a whole, be a better place without them as they seem to be more of an opportunistic parasite than anything truly helpful to society. With that said, psychopath’s and sociopaths prey upon those with lots of empathy, like people who are bipolar for instance. Anyone could potentially be a victim however. They are often known as emotionaly vampires, sucking your soul dry. And many times they do so while you assume they have a conscience and actually care about you. In essence, they do what they do on purpose and get away with it. Look up sociopathy and psychopathy…books like “The Sociopath Next Door.” And remember, women can be psychopaths and sociopaths as well. I learned that the hard way. Bipolar people really don’t mean to and don’t like to hurt people. Sociopaths positively delight in hurting others. Demonize the demons, not the scape-goats. Anyway, enough of the PSA’s.
The point is, if you think of it evolutionarily it makes much more sense, both the negatives and the positives. Evolution isn’t perfect. If the probability of bipolar people to be creative, innovative, and intelligent is higher than average and it happens to increase their fitness to mate and provide even in some cases then you can see how the gene would propogate. Bipolar people tend to be more promiscuous than others, thus having a higher chance of passing the gene on. Societies used to be much different than they are today, obviously, and we saw the benefits of bipolars more clearly (ie. Da Vinci, Van Gogh, and others)
My husband has been in bed for the last 3 days, he is not coming out, and wont admit he is depressed. What can I do?
There is nothing in the world that compares to having doubts in your own sanity, mostly caused by people that are certain that they are “normal”. Everyone has something, even if it is being too normal. Bi-polar can be tremendously tragic and painful, but so can many other human experiences. Imagine what it is like to feel emotions that you have never even thought existed. It’s like trying to imagine a colour you haven’t seen yet. That – however hard sometimes, is magical. And bi-polars have the very rare chance to explore that. However gloom the day looks or scary it might appear to someone, not all bi-polars are harmful. When faced with this diagnoses, people WILL tell you how dangerous you are and how you ARE a curse. A lifetime of negative reinforcement WILL break you down and make you believe it eventually. Thank you for being ONE of the few who actually made an effort to show the positive side of Bipolar Disorder!
Thank you for this. I have bipolar and at the moment im stuck in my manic depressive stage.I took a overdose of pills yesterday and wil try everyday until i get it right. But thank you for opening my eyes a little bit,by making my see that bipolar is not actually a curse, even if my brain still thinks its is.
After 50 years of malaise, a brother and s sister who committed suicide, I was diagnosed in France, not in Ireland where I consulted psys from top to bottom, for 30 years.
Here, in my own language, after having read Dr Olivier Ameisen’s book, “The end of my addiction”, I paased it on to my doctor… I am now taking baclophen for the last 12 days and I feel saved… Of course it is only the beginning, but I am full of hope. My partner and my son are hugely supportive, for which I am grateful, and I have wonderful friends who think I am fun to be with… Not drinking is no problem, I am even smoking (tobacco) less, so far so so good… There is help and hope, when you are lucky enough to find the right treatment… Good luck, keep faith, it is a condition which can be contolled…
I’m very happy you posted these positives! There is too much negativity around bipolar, you tell someone you’re bipolar it’s like you have the plague. Not everyone who has bipolar has major depressive episodes, I’ve been one of the lucky ones and am predominantly hypomania. The only time I have had depression or full blown mania is when there is a trigger that brings up an internal wound that’s from my past. I’ve been very fortunate and found great people to help me when my nervous system gets stressed to bring me back down to center. I feel blessed to be able to use the gifts of this, ‘illness’.
Infact its worse than what is worse than having the plague.And here in Africa where we are, it is worse than what is worse than to be rumoured to be HIV positive. For Christ’s sake we are supposed to be at the craddle of humankind.
which of the gifts are you using and how? I would also like to use mine. Maybe they are similar to yours and so then would just copy and paste and then stop being ill.
To Fussilogix
Bipolar is neither tragic nor painful.
Infact it is a pleasure. It depends on how you respond to the conditition.
NOT ONLY COLOUR BUT EVEN TO IMAGINE AND EXPERIENCE SOMETHING (REAL) THAT HAS NEVER BEEN IMAGINED BEFORE OR LET ALONE EXPERIENCED BY GOD HIMSELF
i am proud to be a bipolar..forget about the illness n do the job which u guys r doing..just take care of u r self give sometime before u do anything…n …enjoy life.
Your comments have taken me back through my journey with BP for over 20 years. Having experienced hospitalizations, ECT treatments, multiple drugs and counseling, I am still, and am told, will forever be BP. I lost multiple jobs, and am currently on disbaility for my mental illness. The positive side of hypomania is correct. I am writing this at 4:45 am, because I cannot sleep. It is devastating to obsess over mistakes and regrets. Thank you for reminding us that a little cheer is necessary to function. And by the way, God is an excellent therpist!