So I'm happy that so many TV shows have tackled mental illness issues with their main characters, but I wonder sometimes. This post has spoilers for Homeland, Rookie Blue, ER, Law and Order SVU, and Black Box. Trigger tagged, just in case.

Rookie Blue is the one I'm watching now. One of the characters was introduced as hiding her bipolar diagnosis from her employers near the beginning of Season 3. She's a cop. I'm on Season 3 Episode 11 right now and she just showed up late seeming really disheveled, tense, talking fast, stayed up all night, spouting some weird theory. Of course I know where this is going.

It seems like an accurate enough portrayal of hypo/mania so far but it's only been a couple of minutes. I'm waiting for the episode to develop to see what happens to her. It reminds me of my first manic episode, where I showed up to a therapy group late, interrupted, dropped my coat on the floor, spilled all the change in my pockets, apologized five times, motormouthed about why I was late in a really rambly, tangential way. I had the same shifty, tense, disheveled appearance. It actually tipped off my therapist that I was manic.

And then there's Homeland. I actually love Homeland's portrayal of bipolar disorder. It's about a CIA agent with bipolar disorder, and I do love Claire Danes. She has a manic break in Season 1 episode 11 that I could relate to (at one point she's standing in a hospital hallway shouting "My kingdom for a green pen!!") and the depression afterwards is very relatable too, at least for me. And the way she has to manage it later episodes and seasons and the way she is sometimes compliant and occasionally she gets carried away is just the perfect balance I think (ha ha balance)

And then there's Black Box. I hated the first few episodes of this show with a fiery burning passion. The main character is a bipolar neuroscientist, but the way she was portrayed in the first few episodes was that she was childish, extremely irresponsible. I hated her. I hated how she made bipolar seem to the public. Going off her meds at the slightest provocation, having sex with everyone, lying, being INCREDIBLY CAPITAL LETTERS DRAMATIC etc. It was like they took every stereotype of bipolar and took it to the extreme. As the season went on, they stopped focusing on bipolar and the character became much more human and believable. Even though I still kind of dislike the show, I can't stop watching it, so I guess it's doing its job.

ER is the second last one I can think of off the top of my head. Abby Lockhart's mother, played by Sally Field, makes an appearance in a couple of seasons and she has bipolar disorder. I haven't watched these episodes in years, but I found the portrayal to be pretty decent. I remember her mania to be very similar to how Rookie Blue is portraying it, and I remember Abby and I think either Carter or Luka took a road trip to find her after she'd gone off on a manic flight, and she's depressed and locked in a hotel room, so they drive her back to Chicago and on the way she overdoses but no one notices so she's just sleeping in the car and they barely realize in time. I remember that struck me hard.

There's an episode of Law and Order SVU where Stabler's daughter has a manic break and I thought that was well done. I wasn't as impressed with how they portrayed his mother, who was also bipolar. I didn't relate, but that doesn't mean it was bad, because there are different presentations of bipolar that are still accurate.

Not television, but on youtube there are several videos, some the entire play, of the Broadway musical Next To Normal, which is about a mother with bipolar disorder and how it affects the whole family. I absolutely love it, but I'm biased when it comes to musical theatre. This is their performance on the Tony Awards: It's introduced by Princess Leia! Who is also bipolar! There are some mistakes but that's why I love live theatre.

It seems the majority of bipolar characters are women. I would love to see a bipolar male character.

What do you think of television portrayals of bipolar disorders? Do you have a favourite I didn't mention?