[peaceheart]

Does anyone else with bipolar get frustrated at the terribly incorrect descriptions of bipolar in the media and even in supposedly more official writing?

I find it so reductive and that it often gives only the simplistic and reductive description of the illness overall (for e.g. suggesting that a person isn't manic if they don't feel euphoric, even though all of the other symptoms may be present and they may be severely manic).
I often find that it also downplays the gravity of BPII. There is often the very incorrect assertion that the depression in BPII is less severe, when in fact the depression component can be equally or more severe (and the stats I have seen also show that, while hypomania is not as extreme as mania, BPII it has a more chronic course, with more frequent cycling, longer periods of life spent in depression and higher rates of suicidality). This isn't intended as a "which is worse" dialogue, that's totally unhelpful and not the point (and anyway everyone's experience is unique).

Since others who don't have BP will be looking on sites like this and in the media to help them understand the illness and our experiences, it is so frustrating to see that the information they will encounter is often very sound bite in nature and could leave people with an inaccurate and incomplete understanding.

Today I saw that PsychCentral now has an educational site (AllPsych), which I think is great. But the content on BP was worryingly lacking in describing a complete or accurate description of BP, especially BPII. There is no comments section on there to raise this concern.

Anyone else feel the same way?

[Standup2me]

Totally. I remember, a few years back, watching a Law and Order episode, and
a BP woman was portrayed as someone kind of scary