Stigma – A Toxic, Deadly Hazard to Be Eliminated

I think that all physicians should have knowledege of mental illness. I have been having episodes of syncope for a year. this past aug was the worse heart rate in the 30″s an b/p very low.I was in I C U for a few days the conribute my syncope to seroqueol I am bipolar all my life . but drank to balance the my brain . finally went to rehab got out of denial and started meds for the past 5 yrs. the cardiologist felt the serqueol was causing the problem stopped my meds to do cardiac testing . went through the worse mania i ever had .i am still manic but getting a little better , i did not sleep for 2 months became aggresive not happy an shopping. been putting my husband and family through hell and i went to the er instead a drink and was put into the psych ward i still get high and low for the last 5 yrs i feel there is no hope for me. and now the lithium is effecting my potassium and blood pressure .i am 43 and would love to start living life before its to late . so if docs new more they would have not stopped my meds. also very hard to find a good psych that doen’t cost a fortune or take ins

I can honestly say being bipolar is the loneliest feeling in the world. People do not realize what we go through. BP is a vortex or blackhole that can suck everything and/or everything we have away, including our mortality. If I had three wishes I would give two of them away as long as the third wish guaranteed me a life without bipolarism.

its really hard when people expect me to just be happy when i can’t or be neutral when i’m not. i am very passionately bipolar . extremely so. up is up. down is down. music is my remedy when the world rejects me. the sounds would be so useless if they were all the same. music is the expression of the unique and particular moment, observed, unchanged, no judgment or hopeless horizon. acceptance. thank God for these records relations. (hearing “flint” by sufjan stevens on iron&wine Pandora radio)

Sometimes I just want to shout, “I’m NORMAL!”, and I realize that I am just that. Normal for someone with bipolar disorder. Living with the drastic changes that have occured in my life, loss of my job, life as I knew it, house, love, financial security…, because of bipolar disorder is difficult at best. Then put stigma on top of that, it ups the challenge drastically. I do like to call it what it is, bipolar disorder, no matter who gets uncomfortable. Good for this brave group of folks who are raising awareness about living with mental illness.

Hi,
This looks like a great story. I love Glen Close. But my computer won’t download flashplayer 9.0 and I can’t view the video. This has been very frustrating for me.

CABF – the Child and Adolescent Bipolar Foundation – is a proud partner of BringChange2Mind.org! Please visit CABF at http://www.bpkids.org.

I have the milder bi-polar ll. It still can be so frustrating. I forget things when I’m high, important things,like depositing a large amt of money twice in 9 days. Which caused our checking to overdraft. My meds are helpful, but when I’m high I have so many thoughts in my head, that I can’t react to a thought because I’ m off to another. I’m thankful that it is milder but, people sometimes think I’m rude or a know it all because I talk so fast. One thing that calms me is reading my bible. especially the Psalms, before I was diagnosed it was one of the few things that could calm me down.

I was able to see Glenn Close and her sister interviewed on THE VIEW. It was an excellent interview. Glenn Close said that there was a history of bi-polar and other MI in her family. They asked her is she had ever had an effects on herself. She said that it has affected her in the form of PERFECTIONISM that she has. One could tell that she and her sister are very close and that they support one another. Her sister also mentioned that a person with bi-polar has to accept some side effects from the medications and that it may take a while to get the right combination of meds. etc. to help.

I was treated for depression for many years. Then, 4 yrs. ago, I had a hypo-manic reaction to a medication for depression that I was on. I had to be hospitalized for 2 weeks. It was during that time, that I FINALLY got my TRUE diagnosis of Bi-polar 2 Drs. now feel that I was actually BP@ for many, many years before receiving the correct diagnosis. I have not had to be hospitalized since that time 4 years ago. But, I do cycle typically in the Fall and Spring. I live in a small town and of course, everyone knew that I got “hauled away in the ambulance and that I was in the PSYCH. ward for 2 wks.” Just starting now, I am finally be accepted into the community. My husband has been supportive through all of this which is great. During the last 4 yrs., I basically have had to occupy myself at home with projects, reading, the computer, needlework etc. Now, I am ready to branch out a bit and gain some acquaintances, and possibly some friends. I am also attending church and deciding on which church to join.