Quote:
Originally Posted by Wild Coyote
Then there's the stigma. 
People seem to more readily accept a friend having a diagnosis of depression over a diagnosis of bipolar.
It definitely takes time to come to grips with a bipolar diagnosis and even if/when we do adjust to it (accept it), we often keep it a "secret" due to the stigma. |
This is so true.
When I say I have moderate depression, I get nothing but compassion. Sometimes it comes with a dose of poorly executed good intentions, telling me how to snap out of it and be happy.
When I say I have bipolar disorder, I am sometimes met with denial - "can't be right". I think it bothers some people because there is no solution they can offer me. People don't snap out of bipolar disorder (they don't snap out of clinical depression either, but that's another story).
I denied it for several years, but at some level I knew the diagnosis was probably correct; sometimes I wasn't depressed but also wasn't "right" and it wasn't just ADHD. I had/have a recurring delusion. I had/have hyperacusis.
And yes, it is still a secret at work and with social acquaintances that aren't close friends. Some people get the depression story, some ADHD, some both and some nothing. The stigma is very real. Many people have the wrong idea about what it means.