Hi bluebicycle. I am not a Twitter, Facebook, or even frequent YouTube user, but I notice a little bit of what you describe on Reddit.com, where I mostly go just for their cooking subreddit. I will say that Reddit.com has some bipolar subreddits that weed out those who do not have serious (or legitimate) diagnoses, but there are still some who are a bit less "in the know" everywhere. I try to avoid such posts or even TV shows that I feel misrepresent illnesses. Ultimately, a lot of it is just plain entertainment. Sad, but true. Or in some peoples' defenses, they may actually be struggling in some way or another in life, and just want to feel part of some group. They may actually need some support, even if they don't have bona fide serious mental illness or at least the one their claiming to have. I bet you've even seen people here, at times, that might fit that category. Not really any of the regulars, but short-term posters, at the least.

I agree that mental illness is important to talk about. I am sad that some who talk about it have very wrong notions about it, and it's hard to really change that. I remember not that long after my youngest nephew lost his life to bipolar seeing a blogger "Talk about Suicide". They were of the crew that thinks suicide is a sin. It's terrible to read that. There are a lot of closed and misled minds out there. A lot of people consume information only from one or two skewed sources. No comparisons. No looking at things from different perspectives. No exploration beyond what's put right in front of them.

I know what I have gone through, and have a good inkling what many others with mental illness have gone through. I'm glad that I, and many others, do get proper treatment and support. That's better than in the past. I do expect wider knowledge to improve in the future. It surely won't be complete knowledge.