Hey everyone,
I got to thinking today about this topic. We are blessed to have a forum that allows for like-minded people and sufferers alike to share thoughts and a lot has changed in the last 50 years in terms of how we look at mental health, but sadly there is still a stigma out there. It stems from so many facets.

Just in my life alone, I know of a few people with alternative opinions about mental health. I know one who doesn't believe it exists and the human experience IS suffering, and those who need "help" are just "weak". I know one who thinks most medications for mental health are either there to make you feel like you're doing something to help yourself but ineffective all together OR they do work, but they are to make you placid and control you.

Of course, both of those examples are a bit extreme. To be clear, I don't subscribe to either of their ideas, but I do understand the misconceptions and misinformation sometimes thrown around.

What misinformation or misunderstandings have you ran into based on stigma from both professional and private interactions?

Borderline Personality Disorder is something I swear I spent more time trying to correct some misconceptions about it than anything else when I am honest with someone with my mental health. I usually set it up like this "Be careful what you read online. It paints a very drastic picture and a lot of people fill in blanks with how THEY WOULD PERCEIVE certain actions and attitudes. Mental Health manifests differently in everyone, because we are unique in our experiences. For me, this is what it means..." and I start a dialogue.

The same with bipolar, you wouldn't believe how many people still truly think " rapid mood swings" is some core indicator of bipolar.

Have you ever helped dismantle misinformation others have about your conditions?

Like I said earlier, I like to open up a dialogue and express I am a human being with unique experiences and my issues may manifest different than other people -- a list of "symptoms" in a book does NOT equate to the suffering or sum up everything I go through.

Name one misconception you had about Bipolar when you were first diagnosed.

I assumed that the different states you could enter, manic, mixed, depressed, or baseline were relatively uniform, and cycled. (Depressed-ok-hypo-perhaps manic- depressed repeat). Lots of studies have shown just how varied that can be. BPII patients tend to spend more time in depression than anything else. Some studies have shown Manic episodes, when not treated, becomes more frequent the more you have them.. meaning, every time you become manic, you're likelihood of another episode is higher. (again, this was considered without treatment thus why early identification is important for bipolar patients!)

Lastly, we all know the frustration of side effects with psych meds. Is there anything you wish you knew before taking a specific med/your current cocktail?

Metabolic effects of second generation antipsychotics I feel sometimes are minimized but one of the most "felt" side effects of our meds. I feel there should be a little more on the table about what they are, ways we can curb the issues (such as weight) and being more frank about what our options are.