I do not see the value in assigning blame. The reality is the exact cause for this spectrum of disorders is unknown and may vary by patient. How can anyone be expected to fix what is broken if we are given nothing concrete to rely upon as the cause?

As a professional, I am called upon to redesign broken systems. My first step is always root cause analysis. I simply cannot be expected to be effective in fixing something unless I have a clear picture of the cause. Psychiatry has failed to offer a true root cause analysis of bipolar disorder. Chemical imbalances are speculation and are still a working hypothesis. Genetic causes are also assumed to be at play, but the exact details are unknown. Brain abnormalities have been studied, but the impact is unclear. I sense we will be fumbling around in the dark for a while on this.

I feel like the only thing one could be held accountable for is consciously choosing to engage in behavior patterns that exacerbate the problem. Even then, accountability is questionable as it is the disorder itself that often causes patients to seek such behaviors. We just don't have the facts and the guessing game is seeing way too many people fall through the cracks. That leaves patients virtually on their own to decide what course of treatment is best. Blame just makes it all worse. I feel like most people are doing the very best they can with an incredibly difficult set of circumstances.