How
open are you about
your BP D
x?
I feel that if it is an accepted part of my life, something that is common knowledge to those who know me- the stigma can be fought and you can educate those who have questions or concerns. I sometimes need people to know that my reactions have little to do with them or the environment and more to do with my condition. I need them to understand why I feel that I cannot commit to anything that I can't easily pull back from if I can't handle it when the time comes.
I go to a relatively small church of about 50, half of those being children. My actions on Sundays would be cause for concern (sometimes crying, sobbing through the music, sometimes clapping and singing along, being much more outgoing than I usually would) if they didn't know about BP.
I try to normalize BP because my husband and I and my daughter all are Dx with BP. It IS a normal part of our household. Not any different then if one of us had type 1 diabetes or something like that. Something that changes daily life.
Lately, since I have been working on the disability paperwork, I have been taking to people from places like the bank who have questions when they see that I don't have a mobility disability. They ask, and I answer. Yes, I have Bipolar Disorder. What is that? What is it like? Can you drive? (I thought that was a funny one!) What kind of treatment? Does it ever go away? Why is it called BI- POLAR? All innocent questions and if they never knew anyone with it, they now do.
I think the more open we are with our Dx the less people will be confused by it. People see our actions ( I can't hide mine ) and I would rather those around me see them as a product of the disorder than me simply being flaky, disrespectful, inconsistent, and so on. I want them to know it is a disorder, not a character flaw. Let them understand the whole story.
Also, I think if it was a more commonly heard of condition, more people would seek treatment earlier. My daughter had talked to her friend before coming to us. Her friend told her that if she let anyone know that she could end up in an asylum! My mother wondered if I got disability would the state allow me to keep my children? People are getting much better at recognizing depression or ADD or other conditions because information saturation got rid of the stigma of having the label. If no one will cop to having BP, then everyone will continue to believe that they are all sent to asylums because they will think they have never seen anyone with it!
Do you remember how alone you felt when you first hear of the Dx? I felt like I might be one of the only ones out there. I was so happy to ind this forum because I found REAL people who were like me. Being "not-alone" has made me much safer emotionally when I am down.
So, that is my opinion. I wanted to know what yours is, and then what you think of mine.
Love you all
_christina