How do you explain bipolar to others?

When explaining your disorder to others, how do you explain it? I've sent links to some of my friends incase they want to better understand it;however, I feel they fall short on REALLY explaining it because the criteria are so clinical.

How would you describe your disorder when trying to educate others?

I send them my blog. (Below)

I explain that I didn't understand why I got diagnosed at first, because all I knew about it where the stereotypes - which I didn't fit into and later found out were all wrong.

So i start with that, explaining that there's a minimum duration of a mood episode (both manic and depressive) and average of only 4 per year, as opposed to being an "every other second thing".

Then secondly, that nothing "triggers" it, it just happens. That if it's bound to happen it will, regardless of whats happening in my life and there is no burden on other people to try to "prevent it", because they can't.

Lastly that its not just being really "happy" or "sad", that the mood symptoms go hand in hand with alot of other symptoms, otherwise everyone in the world could diagnosed with bipolar if it was that simple. And that its pretty hard to get a diagnosis.

I find just clearing up those firsts three things leaves room for honest discussion, if there is any later. But I usually don't tell people I have it though

I say there's three aspects of me, the depressed side, the manic/hypomanic side, and the normal but eccentric side. That whenever I'm in one aspect, I genuinely cannot remember how the other two aspects feel like.

I say that the depression is pretty classic depression, that I've even been suicidal. I say the manic/hypomanic tends to express itself as endless rage. That the "normal" still has quirks because symptoms can never be completely suppressed. That on top of all that my emotional reaction to external stimuli is far too strong, far too exaggerated for the situation at hand, and that I have paranoid delusions.

And then I compare it to a physical illness. Diabetes is a favorite, because people can understand the parallel with low blood sugar/normal blood sugar/high blood sugar. Another one is thyroid disorders, as everyone knows someone with hypothyroidism and that can also affect the mind yet is clearly a physical, chemical problem. I also say that just exerting willpower to control my symptoms is just like asking a person in a wheelchair to just will himself to walk. It just can't be done.

I really like these descriptions. Keep them coming.

This is great... Especially the bit on the 'normal but eccentric'. Nice to hear other people experience it this way.

I do not. I just accept the eccentric engineer role LOL I have told people about my BP2 and it always backfires, so I just keep it to myself and woman up if I do something stupid or silly and apologize to people. Or just plain telling them I had too much on my plate when I did xyz. Another ting I do is ask for help at work. If I feel like I cannot complete tasks I utilize co-workers. Like if answering phones is going to be a problem I bribe a co-worker with doughnuts, coffee, lunch whatever. I think they appreciate my honesty that I need them to help me out.

I used to describe it like a roller coaster on a track.

their are straight bits of the tracks, bits of the track that go up the hill (and that are steep at times), and bits of the track that plunge you down the hill and in to a dark tunnel!

now though, I describe it as valleys and mountaintops

The only one I've had to explain it to is my primary care physician because he is unfortunately very clueless regarding the condition and has said (I'm sure unintentionally) some stigmatizing things regarding it to me. I explain it how one doctor explained it to me that made sense. Everyone has highs and lows. For people with bipolar, the lows are much lower and the highs, much higher. For instance, a neurotypicals emotions could be charted using a six inch stick.....a bipolar persons require a yard stick. I explained that moods don't typically change from minute to minute or even day to day but last for varying lengths and varying severity. I also explained this to my son recently as he's coming to accept he may have it and needs treatment and evaluation. Someone mentioned that nothing triggers it and that is the case sometimes, but for me, positive or negative STRESS seems to bring about an episode. A doctor said that even with it being triggered by stress, it's still bipolar and stress is a known trigger. I'm in an acceptance mode about it all again and will be getting in to see my doctor soon as my moods have fallen off the ends of the yardstick recently.

I explain it as hypo mania like a kid at Christmas (hyper). Mania like Tigger but on speed.... I get very bouncy when mania kicks in. Depression like I'm dead inside like I'm all numb and nothing I do helps to lift them.

I sometimes say I have a brain disorder that affects me mentally and physically and leave it at that.

I sometimes will explain what I am going through in detail.

I probably haven't explained it enough at work, which is why I no longer have a job (well, that and the fact that I can't work right now).

When explaining it to my twelve-year old son, I did it much like ElsaMars did, but instead of using the ruler/yard stick analogy, (which is fantastic, by the way. All of these are), I drew a picture of the earth. I asked him if he knew what a pole was. I said what makes them a pole? He said "extreme location and weather."

We talked about extremes and that this drawing was an analogy for my disorder.

I drew the equator. I drew two lines above and below the equator. I talked about "normal" weather--how it fluctuates between cold and hot and drew a roller coaster pattern. We talked about normal happy and sad, and their causes. Then I drew a roller coaster that was outside those two lines. I started to explain extreme weather, but by then he had caught on and finished up by explaining it to me.

I think I have probably made too many assumptions about what people know about bipolar.

When do you all think it's important to tell or not? And how much?

I think of bipolar as a pendulum that swings further than most. There is one side, there is the middle, and there is the other side. Most pendulums don't have to swing far, but mine does.