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#1
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So, I know we had threads like this in past..... but here is my personal take...................
"Your illness is lying to you." This is awfully dismissive to person's feelings, however irrational they are (because emotions aren't always rational, but they have valid causes). And it basically dismisses the person as an human being capable of forming their viewpoint. Because... after all, in the end, it may be their illness lying to them. Yes, we are more intense than average population, but in the end, it is us. As much as we sometimes get irrational... as much as we have cognitive distortions (everybody has. everybody)... it is worth to look at what causes these emotions... and often it is much more than whacked up brain chemistry. "you are bipolar? OMG! That is so terrible! It must be awfully hard to not to be able to have normal life!" and variants of over-the-top sympathy. I don't have leprosy and I am not gonna drop dead within five minutes... save your sympathy to those who need it. Is it hard? Is it sometimes effing painful? Hell, yes... but it is also hard to talk about. As much as some hate to hear it, I want to hear that I am doing well and that you couldn't tell... And as much as I sometimes need a breather... walking on eggshells around me is only gonna make it worse. I am an adult, a capable, intelligent human being.... and I want to be treated as such. "You need a low stress lifestyle. You shouldn't do this and that and that one thing? No-no. Healthy people can do it, but you are sick" Just imagining low stress lifestyle scares me, because I would probably die of boredom (or die doing something risky and stupid just to feel some excitement). I know, i know, the wise book say I should sleep regularly and travelling is bad, drinking is bad... and travelling to places where you drink a lot and sleep little is uberbad... But some things are just me. In "We" a dystopic novel, unhealthy lifestyle was strictly verbotten. It was a dystopic society.... and we don't want to go there. Sometimes the risks are worth it. Quality and intensity over quantity. I do not want to be stable for a sake of being stable and avoiding things that could possibly make me unstable. "trust your doctor, you lack insight" Humans should never ever be asked to hand over decision about their lifes. As I said... we have moments of irrationality, but that can be dealt with. We can learn to live with it and know ourselves. One knows themself the best... you don't need a degree to know yourself... you live with yourself. Observe and learn. Trust yourself. (will add more later)
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Glory to heroes!
HATEFREE CULTURE |
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#2
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I'll add to this list...
"You can't possibly be bipolar. You're so productive/successful." This is very dismissive and invalidates the individual's experiences and suffering. It's the response I had gotten most often with ADHD and depression. Just because I'm mentally ill doesn't mean I can't be successful, for cryin' out loud! It's actually been easier with the bipolar diagnosis. Friends who know me well tend to say, "Oh, that makes so much sense!" because it explains my behavior and my productivity. But I haven't told enough people yet to run into many negative or condescending responses.
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disorderlychickadee.wordpress.com |
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#3
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''You are so miserable sometimes''
Gee, thanks for reminding me, i forgot i have some chemicals mixed up. |
#4
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Quote:
this tends to bother me when I am doing bad. I know people mean well when they say "I am not worried about you"... but at the moment it sounds... as something else than I need to hear. I think that the "you cannot have life with depression" comes partly from MH advocates overenthusiasts.... who try to spread awareness about these issues... but they exaggerate it. Last year some blogger posted a list of what not to give depressed people to xmas (apparently chocolate, bath products, movie comedies or CDs that have ballads on them... all offensive...). Thing is.... we do have periods of normalcy between the episodes... or relative normalcy. I personally always wondered if I have ADHD, because I show plenty of the classic symptoms. Does not really matter anyways.
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Glory to heroes!
HATEFREE CULTURE |
#5
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Questionable things that have been said to me (by mental health professionals, nonetheless!):
From the psychiatrist who diagnosed me, when I told her that having a bipolar diagnosis scared me: "Don't worry. Bipolar Disorder doesn't sound nearly as scary as the old term, Manic Depression". From the same doctor, a few months ago when I was really, really struggling: "I can't help you. You need to find a doctor outside of the university, because if I treated you I might not be able to help you when you needed it. It can be really difficult to get an appointment here around finals." My thoughts: So you're going to let me drown now so that I can be saved later?! And who sees a psychiatrist because s/he is stressed over finals?! From another psychiatrist I've seen:"Being bipolar is a good thing. It'll make you more creative." Seriously. From my therapist, when I told her that I wanted to be a physician: "I think that pathology and diagnostics are the best specialties for bipolar physicians to go in to. That way they don't have to interact with too many people." ![]()
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I dwell in possibility-Emily Dickinson Check out my blog on equality for those with mental health issues (updated 12/4/15) http://phoenixesrisingtogether.blogspot.com ![]() |
#6
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"Don't worry. Bipolar Disorder doesn't sound nearly as scary as the old term, Manic Depression".
None of these terms are descriptive. They suggest there is some dichotonomy... but in fact, it is more a specter of motions we go through. 3D scale too. Bipolar... as much as it is the official term... if sounds so cold war. And not saying I never ever feel like I am walking on the a-bomb and disaster in making... in the end, "bipolar" sounds much scarier to me... preciselly because of the cold war connotations.
__________________
Glory to heroes!
HATEFREE CULTURE |
#7
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These drive me crazy:
"Why did you let them diagnose you as bipolar? Now you'll never get a job or have insurance!" "You're not bipolar. You just can't handle stress and don't understand life has ups and downs." "Everybody claims they're bipolar! It's something psychatrists diagnose people with to get money." "You don't need that medicine. It's bad for you and there's nothing wrong with you." I wonder when my family went to medical school.
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Becca Bipolar 1 with Rapid Cycling and Mixed States Wellbutrin 150 mg Lamictal 400 mg Geodon 40 mg Ativan 0.5 mg |
#8
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Quote:
I had an evaluation by a Behavioral Health intern (a psych PhD student) who told me that the side effects of mood stabilizers suck and most people don't like them. In a 10-minute phone call, she said, you have ADHD and bipolar, and here are your 3 treatment options, and we won't do anything more for you (i.e. rx's) at the university health center until you start therapy. The first thing the therapist did was send me to a proper pdoc office to get a diagnosis and mood stabilizers!
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disorderlychickadee.wordpress.com Last edited by AniManiac; Dec 08, 2011 at 09:28 AM. Reason: got off topic... |
#9
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Here's my "favourites" : bipolar's not real, you just need prayer,it's demonic interference (mom)
: every 2nd person is bipolar, Dr's just want to make money,serious, i heard a panel of Dr's discuss it on tv (mom) : you're not bipolar, you're just dramatic, you should stop wearing your heart on your sleeve (YOUNGER brother) :really? You're bipolar?? You seem so together (wtf?) #My REAL favourite# NOW you make sense to me! LOL (Highschool drama teacher and current mentor) ![]() |
#10
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MAY TRIGGER/CAUTION
this may be off topic but i get really irritated when a horrible event is caused by a person who has been diagnosed BP and on meds. the media plays on that emphasis,BP, way too much to explain why it happened. it's like we all go into mcdonalds with our guns, etc. the event may have absolutely not been caused by BP. imo our dx doesn't mean we're A danger to society either.
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Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark, in the hopeless swamps of the approximate, the not-quite, the not-yet, the not-at-all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish, in lonely frustration for the life you deserved, but have never been able to reach. Check your road and the nature of your battle. The world you desired can be won. It exists, it is real, it is possible, it is yours..~Ayn Rand |
#11
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Quote:
I feel the same way though about crazies not on meds....... hard then to explain my choices, because internets and other communities explode into "crazies cannot make their own decisions... for the good of society" (and especially when it is a political crime passed off as "well, he's mentally ill" *cough*Norway*cough*Breivik*cough*).
__________________
Glory to heroes!
HATEFREE CULTURE |
#12
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"Those bipolar people are crazy and shouldn't be allowed in the general population" (nurse I work with)
"They're diagnosing everyone bipolar now, it's the new depression" -mom "You're not bipolar, you're just self-centered" wtf mom how does that even work? "You just need to tone down your moods" (yes i know, thanks, very helpful) i have apparent mommy issues. THANKS GUYS!
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The biggest hurdle that anyone has to get over is believing that they can learn how. |
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