This Bipolar Life: Never Ending Roller Coaster

Living with bipolar is like living on a never ending roller coaster. Sure the moods can be tamed, controlled for significant periods of time. Even the wildest roller coasters level off at times.

Bipolar is more than a mood disorder. It’s a relationship disorder. It’s an organ failure disorder. It’s a sleep disorder.

Just when you think you’ve got the mania and depression under control, you find you’ve lost friendships, some forever. You want to work harder at rebuilding friendships after the number of doctors increases because the very essential medications keeping you sane are slowly destroying the rest of your body-- and who wants to be alone at such times? All the while, sleep evades or drags you down until soon your moods begin a creeping shift-- continuing on the roller coaster ride of this bipolar life.

'Til next time,

Arla

This Bipolar Life: Mental Illness does not equate Patronizing Disrespect. You are a Valued Person

Sharing my Bipolar with the expansive world knowingly sets me up for increased prejudices and biases. It also allows me freedom to express and be oneself without the crippling fear and anxiety from hiding.

Knowing this, I find some of the most patronizing and condescending people I deal with are within the very community I must live within. When I must communicate with my physician’s office, some of the staff treat me in such patronizing ways, it is almost intolerable! None of my other medical teams treat me thus.

Why is it, when you find out someone has high cholesterol, they are not viewed as blocked arteries? Or a person with anemia as a glass half full? But when you find out someone has a mental illness, they are viewed as crazy, moody, out of control, “just like my aunt.. she was ____”, dangerous, necessary to avoid at all costs, nothing in common with, not in their right mind, etc. I could keep on going. And going.

Those with mental illness live in variating stages. The idea of treating them as though each and every person is at their worst point is repulsive and unprofessional. Effective communication stops. The encounter can quickly escalate to heated even damaging proportions. And most often, the role the medical professionals, caregivers, etc is seen as appropriate and the person with mental illness seen negative and assumed to be so.

Please note, I said Person -not patient- with mental illness. If we can all remember that no matter whether you have high cholesterol, anemia, or bipolar, like me, you are a Valued Person. And must be treated with respect, kindness, and politeness. Patronizing others in any fashion is demeaning and hurtful. May we be evermore mindful of our words and actions.

‘Til next time

Arla