Quote:
Originally Posted by sheltiemom2007
I do think that people conflate the acting out behaviors of BPD with manic symptoms of BP. Nothing annoys me more than to be on a bipolar site and have everyone nod in agreement that their rageful, violent behavior happens because they have bipolar disorder, and as a result, friends and family just have to accept it as part of their illness. I literally scream at my computer, "this is where stigma gets born and your bad behavior makes my life very hard because I'm lumped in with you."
I've had bipolar 1 disorder with psychosis for 40 years. I have been so psychotic and so wildly manic at times I needed to be hospitalized for 2 months. Never, in all my manic episodes, have I ever acted violently or with rage toward another person. I know many people with BP1 for whom this is true as well. Yet, we are wrapped up in this violent, rageful package and treated accordingly.
We have to educate the people in our lives that all the stories they've heard about angry, vengeful, violent people with bipolar disorder is false. That is not our illness. Then describe straight from the DSM V what exactly our illnesses are. First we have to stop the disinformation, unfortunately promulgated by people claiming to be bipolar.
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That's a little harsh of a tone to have. I think maybe you (since you
scream at your computer,
literally) should take a step back and first identify that bipolar may be someone's main diagnosis and issue, but people are organic and develop issues perhaps a bit outside the realm of criterion from the DSM V, even though it's not the end-all be-all. People feel safe here, and express their issues and confide in others some of their personal and intimate flaws. While you may not have ever associated yourself with rage or violence, that isn't indicative that others haven't or that it is exacerbated by a manic episode, let's say . I agree there is stigma and you're not wrong about that. I just think lashing out at a community of people who are expressing how their issues affect them (maybe another illness or problematic part of their life), through a lens of bipolar, doesn't make them wrong. It makes them human. Co-morbidity between BP and BPD are pretty high, and the criterion can overlap a bunch. Perhaps misdiagnosis? perhaps both? Who the hell cares what we call it, we're addressing others as people -- not a disorder.
I just thought I would pose an argument in the opposite direction.