Denial is an unconscious defense mechanism used by those faced with a painful reality. It is an automatic reaction in an attempt to reduce anxiety by denying thoughts, feelings or facts that are consciously intolerable. It is common for those who are diagnosed with a life-long illness to go through periods of denial. Several of the About.com Health Guides discuss denial from the perspective of differing conditions. All of this information is relevant and helpful for those with bipolar disorder because, as we can each testify, denial is a common denominator in the cycles of mood swings.
After being diagnosed in 1978 (and spending a month in the hospital) I limped along not really taking my lithium for about 4 years and then found a counselor (psychologist) who believed all my problems were due to lack of thyroid and progesterone. So I was aided in my denial. Finally, in 1997, I went back on lithium daily — at a lower maintenance dosage — and have been relatively “well” since.