Misconceptions About Bipolar Disorder

It's time to set the record straight about mood disorders... #MHrevolution

8. All emotions are related to bipolar disorder...

Grey's Anatomy

People with BD have emotions, just like everyone else. Just because they are happy does not mean they are manic. Just because they are down does not mean they are depressed. Just because they are irritated or angry does not mean they are in a mixed state. THEY HAVE EMOTIONS.

7. You know what it is like to be "bipolar" because you have felt really happy or down at some point...

Mania is more than happiness and depression is not sadness. These are clinical conditions that cause severe impairment, not the sad way you feel after watching "Marley and Me"...

6. You will have some magical cure for BD by telling us about a new therapeutic approach or research article...

There is NO cure for mania or depression. You can dance it off or be cured by St. John's Wort. So, thanks for the suggestions, but shut up.

5. BD people are violent... #EndTheStigma

There is such STIGMA around mental illness but they are more often the VICTIMS than the CRIMINALS... for the record...

4. Everyone hates BD and all of its aspects...

Some beauty find beauty in their conditions. For example, hypomania can lead to increased happiness and productivity and creativity. There is an association between bipolar disorder and creativity (check out "Touched with Fire"). PERKS OF BD.

3. All BD is rapid-cycling, like REALLY FAST MOOD SHIFTS...

NO. I, for one, have seasonal changes (summer depression, fall/winter mania). I don't shift my mood from minute to minute. People get EMOTIONS and MOOD STATES mixed, and they are different things.

2. Bipolar people are just dramatic attention-seekers...

NO. Often, they won't even show their mania or depression, if they can help it. The struggle is often a hidden one.

1. If you aren't super smiley, you must be in a depressive state...

Well, besides the fact that I just have RBF, I don't SMILE constantly even when I am super happy. So stop monitoring me for signs of my condition. I'M FINE.