I can never watch these sorts of documentaries, they make me cringe. However, just going by the imdb description, the premise seems to be rooted in a false dichotomy:


I don't really understand why that's an interesting question to "investigate." I think it's pretty well established that there's a large genetic component but that environmental factors often play a role in triggering BD. It's a mix of both. I don't really see the controversy there. To me it's extremely important that the genetic/biological component is acknowledged. When it's not, people tend to think that it's not a real illness and that it's a "choice," something you can get over if you just try hard enough. I don't like the implication in the above description that the idea of a biological component is somehow outdated, because it's not.

Besides, it makes zero sense to view bipolar as some sort of emotional dysregulation disorder that's essentially caused by "bad examples" from parents. If that were the case, then it would be a chronic issue, like a personality disorder. In reality, bipolar is an episodic illness, not a chronic impairment in emotional regulation. As a psychotherapist, the documentary maker really ought to know this.

I take offense at the (implied) notion that BD is purely environmental or some kind of emotional/behavioral disorder. I don't need more stigma and misunderstanding to be perpetuated like that. For example, during a severe depression, the emotional part is actually the easiest component to cope with, at least for me. What really trips me up is the physical manifestations of the depression: insomnia, impaired cognition, psychomotor retardation, impaired memory, extreme fatigue, and so on. For me, those things have little to do with emotions, and they persist no matter how much I try to think positively or manage my emotions. I just hate how many people think of depression as simply "sadness."

I also don't think it's a great choice to include an ultra-rapid cycler in the documentary, as there's such a fine line between that and borderline personality disorder. It's not even universally accepted that ultra-rapid cycling exists in BD. To me it always seems more like a potential misdiagnosis. I really don't want more confusion between BD and borderline, there's far too much of that already. That's part of the reason why I wish we would go back to the term "manic depressive." At least it's not as easy to confuse with other things.

I don't think I've ever seen a documentary or movie involving bipolar disorder that wasn't full of stereotypes and misconceptions. I don't want people who hear about my diagnosis to see a film like that and think that's me.