[C2015]

I always remember the negative comments people say to me. I rarely remember the positive comments. I guess it's because I get more negative comments than positive comments. I also have a hard time accepting positive comments. When I get a positive comment which is very rare I feel like the person is lying. Is this normal with bipolar? I remember negative comments from nearly 20 years ago.

[DysphoricManicMom]

It sure is. I do the same thing. Even when something isnt negative I perceive it as such. And I definitely assume people are being fake when theyre nice to me or have anything nice to say. I have an over all negative view/assumption about people in general. Its even hard to believe my boyfriend when he tells me he loves me or misses me. I remember negative comments I was given as a kid by family members/friends/kids at school and all the way up til now.

[C2015]

I am the same way about negative comments. I will be 33 this month and I remember hurtful comments from when I was in elementary school. For some reason I find it hard to remember the positive comments.

[Blue_Bird]

I don't think it has anything to do with Bipolar exclusively, it's a trait a lot of people have

[C2015]

One thing people say that drive me crazy is be kinder to yourself. That's easy for someone without a mental illness to say. I find it hard to not say negative comments to myself.

[~Christina]

I tell myself to be kind to myself all the time and I have Bipolar.. If I don't treat myself as kind as possible how can I expect others to?

Battling negative self talk is one of the hardest things for a person to manage Mental illness or not.

[gina_re]

I don't know about it being related to bipolar, but this is so me!! I was just talking about this with my T yesterday!! People give me compliments, and I always think to myself, "why are they saying this to me, they must be lying or trying to be nice for some reason." When I do get compliments on lets say...what I'm wearing, my immediate response isn't always thank you. I jump to where I bought it, how much it costs, how I came about to wearing it....all instead of just a simple thank you. I had one person tell me, "you don't take compliments well, do you?" And that really made me think!
I'm not sure why, but I too focus on all the bad things about me, and I know I shouldn't. But it's just low self-esteem that I know shouldn't have because I am pretty awesome. I see it from the outside, but deep down I don't feel it. I've felt this way for as long as I can remember being alive.

[tanto]

I thinks it's more indicative of anxiety than bipolar disorder. Intrusive, obsessive thoughts, riddled with feelings of uneasiness and fear of having those comments said to you again...

[CopperStar]

I perceive it as more so my BPD issues than BP.

For me BP affects all of my experiences across the board, a mood episode will just affect just about everything.

When it comes to consistent interpersonal issues, such as being sensitive to perceived criticism, feeling unworthy, not trusting people who are acting kind, etc, I perceive that it's more of a dysfunctions thing than a mental illness thing.

For me BP can largely influence how I respond to such feelings. For example, if I am depressed, then I am likely to dwell a lot on negative comments and feel just awful, but not be very reactive, and not angry. However when I am in a mixed state, my response to the same thing can be more enraged, riled up or otherwise dramatic and outwardly.

However unlike BP episodes, which come and go, the interpersonal anxiety and paranoia is pretty much always there, and medication-wise really only responds to anxiety medication, not mood or psychosis medications.

[BlackSheep79]

I have dwelled on comments all the way back to my childhood, round and round they go. I also have trouble receiving positive comments. I think it is just human behavior, but maybe the BP enhances it?

It has nothing to do with bipolar or any other mental disorder. Dwelling on negative comments is actually completely normal. In fact, it may even serve an evolutionary function. One needs to be made aware of people who are not trustworthy. Of course, there are times that this adaptation can backfire on us whether you have bipolar, another mental health condition, or no mental illnesses at all. There are times when someone may have said something in the moment and it is simply never forgotten. One looks at the person in a negative light, despite them having made many positive comments and done many good things. The past couple of years, I have been like this very bad for some reason.