I am not a "mean" bipolar... I have mood swings. Most people that know me, think they are silly and yes it makes me irritated to hear comments such as you did. Now, I have only been a tat bit psychotic twice and dont remember a lot from those episodes.

I believe there is an ugly stigma, that the general society likes to believe now. And then like to stigmatize certain behavior such as true bipolar for this. Lots of uneducated medical professionals out there thinking they are qualified to diagnose psychiatry and MI related illnesses. These professionals are part to blame for over prescribing meds to the public within the past 15 years... therefore, making most of the society believe one outburst of anger is bipolar. All emotions are natural.

This would be my take on why the word bipolar is so stigmatized. Not an easy illness to make fun of. Hugs