Overcoming Stigma: A Bipolar Perspective on Mental Health

I’m tired. I’m tired of the lies. I’m tired of the attitudes. I’m tired of the treatment. I’m tired of the bullshit. I’m tired.

I am bipolar, and I do have issues that pertain to the diagnosis that I cannot control. But yet, to others, that is just not allowed to happen. I’m supposed to know everything. You don’t know anything about bipolar, but yet I’m supposed to teach you? How can I teach you when you don’t want to learn? When you don’t want to ask questions. All you want to do is condemn me for the issues that are beyond my control or that have nothing to do with me. But you go against laws, rules, and regulations that are still beyond my control. I’m the one that knows more than you think. How can I?

How can I teach you when all you’re going to do is not listen and think you know that each bipolar person is the same? How can I teach you when you speculate that you know it all just because you know a person with bipolar? How can I?

People with mental illnesses have issues with people like you. People with mental illnesses want to be treated with dignity and respect, just like you give everyone else. How can they teach you? How can I?

I had a bipolar meltdown because I was tired of everyone and everything going on around me that people didn’t want to understand or learn about. I got blamed for things I had no control over or did not do. I had enough of it. I had enough of the laws, rules, and regulations that surround me, whether government-based or corporate-based, torn away from me. I watched it all, and it destroyed me. How can I?

The meltdown happened, and I had no control. All I could do was cry. One friend helped me through it all, and he helped divert another meltdown. Sometimes, the easiest and the littlest things to do are what you know about the person. I will not tell you what he did, but he helped without knowing. How can I?

I’ve had enough of the abuse, the neglect, the lies, the behaviors, and the attitudes. So, how can I when I’ve had enough?

All I can say is, “Welcome to my World.” May you have a thrilling ride, and may you discover and understand more about what bipolar disorder does to the brain of the one creating the content. We have a journey ahead of us.