Myths About Bipolar That Need To Be Corrected

Last Updated on: 7th April 2021, 06:05 pm

Myths About Bipolar Compared To Facts

There are so many myths about Bipolar and the people that live with it, but people rarely bother to check whether they are real or not. Whether it is done out of laziness or just ignorance – who knows? With people believing the myths, it means people with Bipolar have to work even harder to fit in with other people. They always seem to have to prove themselves so much more than other people. Whether it is in a place of work or when you meet new people.

When I was diagnosed, I didn’t know anything about it and I only knew what I had seen on TV, where everything is so dramatised. So here are some myths that people think happen with Bipolar, and the fact that actually happens.

Bipolar Is A Rare Illness

Did you know 1.3 million people in The UK have Bipolar? I guess it doesn’t seem a lot in the grand scheme of how many people live in The UK, but that works out to 1 in 50 people! That means on an average day, you could meet, bump into or talk to someone with Bipolar. You just might not notice because they are having a good day.

Children Aren’t Safe Around Bipolar

It is a well known fact that people with depression actually go out of their way more to protect their children. All children love their parents unconditionally anyway. And in my experience as a parent, my children have enjoyed more adventures with a Bipolar parent. They have never been in danger at any point because of my Bipolar. Even though you suffer with depression as well as the mania, bipolar parents often hide this from their children. So they don’t know anything of their parents illness.

If anything children are not safe around the ignorance and the bullying because they have a Bipolar parent.

Its Just Mood Swings!

It is more than mood swings. Sometimes mania can last months or weeks. Sometimes the mood swings can last just as long. But Bipolar is not about quick mood swings, Bipolar patients do not change their moods at the click of a finger.

If you wake up feeling grumpy and pissed off, then you cheer up by lunchtime. Then by the end of the day, you are moody again. That is not Bipolar, that is moodiness. People with bipolar disorder experience extreme changes in energy, activity, and sleep that are not typical for them.

There Is Only One Bipolar Disorder

This is a huge myth! There are three main different types of Bipolar, each type of Bipolar is different to the other. But you can learn to live with it.

• Bipolar I disorder: If you have manic episodes that last for more than a week, or your mania means you need to be placed in a hospital, Then you have Bipolar 1. You could also have depressive episodes that last for more than 2 weeks at a time. But you do not need to experience depression to be diagnosed with this Bipolar disorder.
• Bipolar II disorder: If you have both mania and depression, but the mania is less severe and noticeable than in bipolar I, it is called hypomania. A person with bipolar II may experience a major depressive episode preceding or following a manic episode. It is like living life on a rollercoaster.
• Cyclothymia: This is the less severe Bipolar Disorder but you will find that you fall into the 12 signs of Bipolar Disorder. This form of Bipolar includes all of the symptoms of hypomania and depression. But it has lasted for2 years or more in adults or 1 year in children. These symptoms do not fit the criteria for wholly manic or depressive episodes, so it is less severe of Bipolar Disorder and it takes longer to diagnose.

Mania Means You Are A Good Person To Be Around

This is not true at all! Mania is not an easy thing to have to cope with when you have Bipolar. Mania can be fun if you are watching someone go through it. The patient can be giggly, jokey and in a really funny mood. But the person with mania can be going through a scary time because their mind is racing. When your mind races it can lead to taking risks because you feel invincible. These risks can be anything from gambling to wanting to jump out of a plane. Also when you are in a state of mania, you don’t sleep. This is really draining on a Bipolar patient.

You, Will, Get Better From Bipolar

You can choose to take medication, which will make you feel a little bit better. But Bipolar will never go away. If anyone tells you that you will ‘get over it’, then they are wrong. You can also get help with seeing a psychiatrist or psychologist. Patients with Bipolar, also take different medications because the different types of Bipolar need different meds. Many patients stop taking their meds because they feel better and think that they are cured. They sadly are not and Bipolar starts to engulf them like the disease that it is.

Bipolar Is All About Depression

Bipolar isn’t all about depression. Bipolar is about finding it hard to settle between mania and depression. The depression part hits you harder and faster than someone who is feeling down or a bit depressed. Bipolar is wanting to go from suicidal thoughts that you can’t cope with to Mania and all of the other feelings that you might have. Bipolar is about needing different medication for those on depression. When someone has Bipolar, you cant just call it depression because this is something they have to live with for the rest of their lives.

Living With Bipolar

Some people choose to live with medication to help them get through their Bipolar. Whilst others choose to live a medication free life. Whatever way people decide to live it, please respect their decision and support them. When you have a person in your life that lives with Bipolar, your life is most certainly a rollercoaster. Just let the person know that they are loved and cared for.