Are Your Social Media Pages Bipolar-Centric?

Kimberly,
I couldn’t agree more. I assist in leading a faith-based support group for folks with BP and their families. It concerns me when a person’s identity becomes too identified with any “medically diagnosable condition”. Most of the 1,000+ people who have been touched by our support groups have ultimate human worth that far transcends their struggle with BP or any other mental illness.

I definitely tell people on my facebook about having bipolar disorder. I also link information on it and joke about it to keep people at ease. I was amazed how so many people came out to me to tell me they too live with bipolar, ADHD, or Depression or have a family member with Bipolar. They feel a sense of security with me because I am very open and not ashamed of living with it. I post my poems, my blog posts, my drawings and my sense of humour. What I don’t post and talk about is having a bad day and get into detail. Occassionaly I will state I’m feeling down or something about my medication but otherwise I keep the personal life issues out of it although I have made the odd mistake of talking about arguments with my spouse, but that hasn’t happened often.

If I’m feeling really down I don’t go on my facebook I stay away until I’m stable. We need to open up to the social networks more and in return other people who also live with a disorder will feel comfortable also talking about it and not feel isolated. Those who don’t live with a disorder certainly learn people with mental illness are just as normal as they are.. we’re just a bit misunderstood because it’s not spoken of enough.

I have learned not to really tell anyone. When I have told people, I have wanted someone to listen to me and to understand…since no-one understood it was really pointless to talk about it.

I think some of us have a need to talk about it because we are traumatized by it. It doesn’t mean that we will always be stuck here…..it is normal to try to process something that is so traumatic.

I don’t hide the fact that I’m gay, so why would I hide the fact that I’m bipolar? Most of my facebook friends have been my friends for a very long time, so they have been with me through all my ups and downs. In fact, they were all happy when I was finally diagnosed. They are my best support group, and I can’t imagine keeping anything from them.

There are several bipolar support groups on facebook, so I guess it’s not an issue for other people, too.

I agree with Kimberly. My bipolar son is learning not to share his disease with everyone, especially now that it is fairly well controlled. He is so much more than this affliction. Also security issues on Facebook or similar pages is a concern. Who will see this information and how will they use it?

I don’t agree with keeping people from announcing what ever they want on their own pages. If you don’t like it, then don’t read it. We live in a FREE country where we can talk about what ever we want. maybe what one person has to say about having Bi-Polar will help someone else. And for the Gentleman who runs a Faith based support group: Bi-Polar is not a “MENTAL ” illness it is a medical condition that affects a person mentally besides physically!!!!!!

I need to make a correction to my earlier post. I said “Most of the 1,000+ people… .” I meant to say “All of the 1,000+ people… .”

For me, this social media issue is not really about being “ashamed” or trying to “hide something.” I applaud, encourage and support people, like Amanda and Ginny, with the courage to be open about their struggle with BP. (Again, a person of ultimate worth struggles with BP. They are not a BP person.) Yet for many, if not most, the journey of healing may be a rather private journey shared with only a few trusted people like Diana and Operasinger.

Few, if any, resources can replace real face-to-face, trusting, safe and accountable relationships that compassionately and lovingly support authentic exposing and processing of the often deep spiritual issues that may accompany a journey with BP or other mental illness. Growth often comes by first taking appropriate risks within a safe relationship.

Even well meaning strangers, friends and loved ones can injure or impede budding progress and healing out of their own sheer ignorance, frustration, fear or casual attitudes. Unfortunately cyberspace can be even more cruel and hurtful. I am saddened each time a person is pigeon-holed or stereotyped by any label.

Most of us don’t undress and expose our bodies to just anybody, even if ours is considered to be a beautiful body. We call that exhibitionism. Most of us tend to reserve that level of healthy intimacy to only a few within a trusting relationship rather than the crowds of strangers or casual acquaintances.

I agree with this completely. I am not defined by my illness but yet at the same time it is a part of who I am. The balance and really the question that has to be answered is “when do I need to tell that I am Bipolar?”

Being bipolar is a part of who I am, there is no need to hide any aspect of that whether I am in a conversation with someone or on my Facebook site. I have learned to use FB as a tool to help with my BP, in that I can look at my history and see trends that help me to understand if I am drifting to one pole or the other. Also, people are supportive of you if they know what is going on, which FB helps me to pass on.

I don’t use Facebook, there are some things they do that really bother me. I do, however, have a page on My Space. I had started it to keep track of my children who live all over the country. Then, I decided to network in the areas of mental health and politics. I DO NOT talk about my own BP, feeling it to be too much of a personal issue. Neither do I talk about it in my personal life unless it’s with a person who I consider near and dear. The last person I confided in re: my mental illness is a woman I met in church. She is wonderfully non-judgemental, and when it’s obvious I’m going through a a bad spell I know she will be there for me without bringing attention to it. BUT-and this is a big BUT-other than that one example, I learned a long time ago NOT to reveal. People, as a rule, do not understand, and can be downright cruel, cold, contemptuous. so for me-nope, I’m not about to expose myself so publicly.

I definitely do not post that I have bipolar disorder on Facebook or any public arena that is not safe for me. I have learned that most people do not really know what it is – they’ve heard it so many times and there are so many kids being diagnosed with it – that they think they know. Unless they have a really close relative or have the disease themselves, they do NOT know what it’s like to be bipolar and therefore, have no understanding of a manic or depressive episode.

I have a page on facebook and myspace. I don’t think it’s a bad thing to post that you have bp. I am not afraid to let people know. I confortable with myself enough that if people don’t like me because of it, that is their problem. They need to learn more about mental illnesses. I am not my diagnoses, but like wil and kelsey say, it is a part of us.

I agree with Kim and some of the others who say its best left in a blog with other friends or folks with bipolar. I’m not one of those people who want my personal life layed out for the world to see. I am comfortable with who I am and consider myself to be more of a private person. The world doesn’t need to know what my problems are. I’d rather keep it under the radar and trust it with those who understand and aren’t ready to pass judgement. Thanks

I have been working as a support worker for the past 15 years, and the post was very useful, will be coming back to read more

Making social plans is one of my biggest issues in dealing with bipolar disorder. Sometimes I wish I could just have a disclaimer posted somewhere on facebook saying that I have a chronic illness, and though I may really want to go to your event, see your art show, or hear your band play, I can’t say for sure if I’ll be able to make it. It has nothing to do with you or how much I like your work, it’s all based on my illness and how I’m feeling that day. For now I suppose I’ll just keep ‘em guessing and tell people one-on-one if I feel comfortable.

I understand how many of you feel and would rather keep your journey private as I once did. I too was afraid to open up to people and tell them of my diagnosis but what that did, I found out, was inhibit my ability to accept to deal with my disorder that I never refer to as a struggle as this to me is a negative word and with negative words comes negative reactions, but I have learned over many years to refer to it as either ’surviving’ bipolar or as I now say it is my blessing.

Again with me opening up about bipolar as part of who I am has amazed people many whom I’ve never met into seeing the creative nature and the loving person someone with this disorder is. My FB is never filled with doom and gloom but at times I will say I’m feeling a bit down and many of those who also survive daily whom I’ve come to known will pick me up with special comments. I’ve met so many people through my opening up on facebook and on my blog who otherwise was ashamed of their depression, ADHD, Bipolar or knows or lives with someone with some of these disorders who now feels comfortable enough to address questions to me.

Many people don’t want their Bipolar to define them and they are more then that, of course we all are, but Bipolar does define who we are. Bipolar disorder has been studied by Kay Redfield Jamison and associates who is also Bipolar in a book Touched with Fire as people with Bipolar are in fact creative geniuses. This something I’ve come to be proud of.

Psychiatrists like Kay Redfield Jamison who survives Bipolar and other celebrities who share their experiences of trials and tribulations are helping take the stigma off mental illness and because of these people taught me I have nothing to be ashamed of and had me accept who I was with pride and in hopes to reach out and help others who live with Bipolar to accept this is who they are and to embrace it as they control it. If we want understanding on this disorder it is important for those with the disorder to ‘come out’ and talk about it as long as they themselves have learned how to channel their behavior properly. The fact is it can be done, but, the person who lives with it must be the one to learn to first admit it then control it and take that responsibility, it is then support will flow from many places.

I write about my disorder as does my husband write about living with me for almost 19 years who we have had many trials and tribulations in dealing with it.

I am wondering Otis Durham what this statement you said meant (Again, a person of ultimate worth struggles with BP. They are not a BP person.) I was diagnosed at the age of 15 and am now 42. I have spent most of my life struggling and denying my illness, in and out of hospitals and many psychiatrists with a family doctor whom I’ve had for 27 years. Her sister also lives with bipolar disorder and has told me because of my acceptance and helping myself these past 5 years has been an encouragement as she tells her sister of my success.

The Mental Ilness community needs all the help they can get in understanding and raising awareness on these disorders and it’s up to the people with these disorders to be the one’s to help other’s understand, aren’t we the best at it. Can a non alcoholic relate what alcoholism feels like? Can a person who never survived cancer relate what it feels like to be a cancer survivor? No, so how can people who don’t live with and survive a mental illness understand what it’s like to live with a disorder as in Bipolar?