Quote:
Originally Posted by NotaSuzi
Hi All,
I'm new to this forum but not to BP. I was diagnosed more than 20 years ago and after a couple of years working on finding the right cocktail I am surprised and happy to report I've lived a quiet, normal life for most of those twenty years (and counting).
What gets me is that when people find out I'm bipolar (people who haven't known me very long) they pull away and I know they're thinking "OMG, she's CRAZY!" And if I didn't take my meds then maybe I would be but I have no desire to go off the rails so I never miss a dose. What's funny is that so much of the time I look around at this world and think "And they think I'm crazy!" People are weird! I feel like the most normal person I know but I have this disease so I'm crazy.
It's so frustrating. Does anyone get this?
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I've only told a handful of close friends and my immediate family. I too have been struck by the stigma and how many people don't educate themselves on mental illness particularly in regards to bipolar. I was just diagnosed about 2 weeks ago and I was relieved that now after years of misdiagnosis I finally had a answer. But after I was told I was bp 2 I thought back to when I was in highschool and people would be like oh he or she must be bp they just flip out like that or he or she's bp they must be crazy! Not bothering to do the research to see that most people with the correct medication and regularly therap and healthy life choices and changes live perfectly normal lives! Maybe someday we can break the stigma!