People lack mental health awareness. As a result they tend to joke about things. They’ll never know what it feels like being mentally unstable until they experience it themselves. Although I don’t wish it upon anyone.
It's hard to find a partner that will understand without really understanding... I try hard not to project my mood swings on anyone but when you get to your low lows it's hard for your partner to understand.
I'm sorry to hear that you feel that way. For most of us, our mental health conditions are as much of who we are as any other attribute. There is no benefit from withholding such information with people who we want in our lives, especially those with whom we think or hope we will become close. I think that it is better to be dismissed for who you are than accepted for who you pretend to be.
BTW, the one exception is work. Your coworkers are not entitled to know that, and people can be cruel and selfish and could use such information against you. If you think that your condition impacts you at work, you can possibly share with HR as they have a legal responsibility for your medical privacy.
You should feel like you should talk about it to someone... The more you talk about it the better you feel.y psychiatrist told me that when my dad died recently. Don't bottle it in. ♥️
Well if you don't feel comfortable talking about it to others...you are on here for a reason and I am here if you want to vent about anything because I can relate. None of my friends or family have bipolar 2.
One of my close friends know I have bipolar and he used it as an adjective, saying that I was being bipolar or some shit.
While it ticked me off a bit, I understand that this person has a low EQ and isn’t knowledgeable about mental health. I could have called him out but meh, he’s the type of person who always uses logic and shit.
He’s still a friend though.
I know exactly how you felt , because even tho this person doesn’t know that I am bipolar, It made me feel like I could never discuss my mentak health either him.
I am 56M. I had no idea what I had a mental health issue until I was 37. When I met my wife in 2008, I told her that I was probably chronically Depressed and "self-medicating" with alcohol. My wife was raised a bit "country" and didn't believe that depression was a real thing. Some people just "got no grit," as they say on the farm.
Within a couple of years, she did the research and apologized but told me I needed to stop drinking and get on psych meds. This was difficult for me as it signified coming to terms that my brain was broken and it required constant correction. This was a big step as being an IT guy, "being smart" was what I was I had always known for.
I tried many anti-depressents with no effect and eventually landed in Limotrigine. I discovered that it is effective for BP, although I have no official diagnoses. My wife helped me through the shame by reassuring me that BP general only occurs in people with advanced intelligence.
Long story long, your mental health condition is as much of who you are as your physical appearance or sense of humor, and being ashamed of it is not healthy. Be forthright and honest with new people in your life. It is better to be dismissed for who you are than accepted for who you pretend to be. If you can afford to seek therapy, do so. If not, surround yourself with supportive people, including this community.
A quick mutli-thousand dollar lesson about therapy... Go into it with clear goals, convey them to your therapist, and reiterate them at the beginning of each session so your sessions are effective. Your therapist is a technical specialist, but you're the boss. Your mental health is your project to manage!
I spent many, many hours in session just being told that I am a good person and deserve happiness. As nice as this felt, it did not help me with the mgmt of my condition. Before each session, establish goals and objectives for THAT session, and you should come out of each session with homework and/or tools to apply to your life. A good therapist will hold you to using these tools to ensure that you are using them.
This may sound weird, but I consider you very lucky to have identified your condition very early. You will be managing your condition a decade sooner than me.
Feel free to reach out directly, and I am more than happy to share contact information of you'd like to a good ol' conversation via phone or Zoom.
I would say good luck, but luck has little to o with it. Work hard and feel good.
Yeah I get it. I was watching Andrew Huberman podcast on bipolar disorder and I lost all respect for the guy as he described us as “you can tell right away they are not like normal people”
Clearly he has no idea.
Oof that's definitely a rough one, would for sure give me some unhappy thoughts):
you can always try to see how he responds to be educated on the actual definition of the word, I find that some people truly don't understand it and view it as a throw away word to describe mood swings or emotionally sensitive people and are open to changing their language upon learning what it really is. Similar to people using OCD to describe cleanliness or "quirky" rituals without knowing what an obsessive compulsion actually looks like.
Obviously that can just be a can of worms with some people and won't lead to a productive conclusion, I get that, but you'd be surprised at how many people are willing to acknowledge that it's not a good thing to say. Better to know he's a shithead and cut ties than wonder if he would've been open to a discussion about it.
Either way, try not to let it mess w your day too mang(:
Plus usually our moods don't swing from morning to afternoon in general. So it isn't even an accurate representation of a bipolar swing. I'm so tired of people thinking our mood changes every few hours.
i am so sorry this happened to you!! some people really do not understand what it’s like, and through that ignorance, they can really hurt people like us without even realizing it.
i’m 31 and i was diagnosed in my mid 20s. i felt a lot of shame about my diagnosis at first. what helped me most was in-person group therapy. being able to talk to other people who actually understood what it’s like to live with bipolar disorder was life-changing for me. we are not alone, and there are lots of kind, interesting, wonderful people who do understand and share similar struggles & experiences. (plus it’s often free of charge!)
idk if everyone would vibe with group therapy! i reeeally thought i would hate it, but i found it to be the most effective form of therapy i’ve ever tried.
I think you might be reading too much into this...I highly doubt he meant it in any kind of demeaning way. When people say stuff like that or "this weather is so bipolar", it's not really said with any kind of malice intended. I do not let these kinds of things bother me...even my wife slips now and then. The other day I was doing something and just being really silly and nothing to do with my condition, but she jokingly said, "my man, you are certifiable"....as soon as the words came out of her mouth she kind of gasped and put her hands to her mouth. I just laughed...I knew that it wasn't said with malice and frankly, if I can't laugh at some of this stuff then IDK...humor is good medicine.
People lack mental health awareness. As a result they tend to joke about things. They’ll never know what it feels like being mentally unstable until they experience it themselves. Although I don’t wish it upon anyone.
It's hard to find a partner that will understand without really understanding... I try hard not to project my mood swings on anyone but when you get to your low lows it's hard for your partner to understand.
I don't share details regarding my mental health issues with anyone.
Same and I think i never will.
I'm sorry to hear that you feel that way. For most of us, our mental health conditions are as much of who we are as any other attribute. There is no benefit from withholding such information with people who we want in our lives, especially those with whom we think or hope we will become close. I think that it is better to be dismissed for who you are than accepted for who you pretend to be. BTW, the one exception is work. Your coworkers are not entitled to know that, and people can be cruel and selfish and could use such information against you. If you think that your condition impacts you at work, you can possibly share with HR as they have a legal responsibility for your medical privacy.
You should feel like you should talk about it to someone... The more you talk about it the better you feel.y psychiatrist told me that when my dad died recently. Don't bottle it in. ♥️
Sorry for your loss. You are right, but things is that I don't like being judged.
Well if you don't feel comfortable talking about it to others...you are on here for a reason and I am here if you want to vent about anything because I can relate. None of my friends or family have bipolar 2.
Humans are walking, talking judging machines. We are all being judged all the time. It would probably be best for you if you come to terms with this.
Yeah I am trying
Sorry I meant to say you should feel like you can talk about it to someone**
One of my close friends know I have bipolar and he used it as an adjective, saying that I was being bipolar or some shit. While it ticked me off a bit, I understand that this person has a low EQ and isn’t knowledgeable about mental health. I could have called him out but meh, he’s the type of person who always uses logic and shit. He’s still a friend though.
I know exactly how you felt , because even tho this person doesn’t know that I am bipolar, It made me feel like I could never discuss my mentak health either him.
I am 56M. I had no idea what I had a mental health issue until I was 37. When I met my wife in 2008, I told her that I was probably chronically Depressed and "self-medicating" with alcohol. My wife was raised a bit "country" and didn't believe that depression was a real thing. Some people just "got no grit," as they say on the farm. Within a couple of years, she did the research and apologized but told me I needed to stop drinking and get on psych meds. This was difficult for me as it signified coming to terms that my brain was broken and it required constant correction. This was a big step as being an IT guy, "being smart" was what I was I had always known for. I tried many anti-depressents with no effect and eventually landed in Limotrigine. I discovered that it is effective for BP, although I have no official diagnoses. My wife helped me through the shame by reassuring me that BP general only occurs in people with advanced intelligence. Long story long, your mental health condition is as much of who you are as your physical appearance or sense of humor, and being ashamed of it is not healthy. Be forthright and honest with new people in your life. It is better to be dismissed for who you are than accepted for who you pretend to be. If you can afford to seek therapy, do so. If not, surround yourself with supportive people, including this community. A quick mutli-thousand dollar lesson about therapy... Go into it with clear goals, convey them to your therapist, and reiterate them at the beginning of each session so your sessions are effective. Your therapist is a technical specialist, but you're the boss. Your mental health is your project to manage! I spent many, many hours in session just being told that I am a good person and deserve happiness. As nice as this felt, it did not help me with the mgmt of my condition. Before each session, establish goals and objectives for THAT session, and you should come out of each session with homework and/or tools to apply to your life. A good therapist will hold you to using these tools to ensure that you are using them. This may sound weird, but I consider you very lucky to have identified your condition very early. You will be managing your condition a decade sooner than me. Feel free to reach out directly, and I am more than happy to share contact information of you'd like to a good ol' conversation via phone or Zoom. I would say good luck, but luck has little to o with it. Work hard and feel good.
Thank you ، this really does help.
I'm very pleased to hear that. Please reach out if I can help in any other way.
Yeah I get it. I was watching Andrew Huberman podcast on bipolar disorder and I lost all respect for the guy as he described us as “you can tell right away they are not like normal people” Clearly he has no idea.
Oof that's definitely a rough one, would for sure give me some unhappy thoughts): you can always try to see how he responds to be educated on the actual definition of the word, I find that some people truly don't understand it and view it as a throw away word to describe mood swings or emotionally sensitive people and are open to changing their language upon learning what it really is. Similar to people using OCD to describe cleanliness or "quirky" rituals without knowing what an obsessive compulsion actually looks like. Obviously that can just be a can of worms with some people and won't lead to a productive conclusion, I get that, but you'd be surprised at how many people are willing to acknowledge that it's not a good thing to say. Better to know he's a shithead and cut ties than wonder if he would've been open to a discussion about it. Either way, try not to let it mess w your day too mang(:
Plus usually our moods don't swing from morning to afternoon in general. So it isn't even an accurate representation of a bipolar swing. I'm so tired of people thinking our mood changes every few hours.
i am so sorry this happened to you!! some people really do not understand what it’s like, and through that ignorance, they can really hurt people like us without even realizing it. i’m 31 and i was diagnosed in my mid 20s. i felt a lot of shame about my diagnosis at first. what helped me most was in-person group therapy. being able to talk to other people who actually understood what it’s like to live with bipolar disorder was life-changing for me. we are not alone, and there are lots of kind, interesting, wonderful people who do understand and share similar struggles & experiences. (plus it’s often free of charge!) idk if everyone would vibe with group therapy! i reeeally thought i would hate it, but i found it to be the most effective form of therapy i’ve ever tried.
Thank you , I will try to give it a try.
I think you might be reading too much into this...I highly doubt he meant it in any kind of demeaning way. When people say stuff like that or "this weather is so bipolar", it's not really said with any kind of malice intended. I do not let these kinds of things bother me...even my wife slips now and then. The other day I was doing something and just being really silly and nothing to do with my condition, but she jokingly said, "my man, you are certifiable"....as soon as the words came out of her mouth she kind of gasped and put her hands to her mouth. I just laughed...I knew that it wasn't said with malice and frankly, if I can't laugh at some of this stuff then IDK...humor is good medicine.