Let's talk about Bipolar disorder and Mental Health

I often hear people talking about Bipolar disorder and clearly, they have no idea what Bipolar disorder is. There are often jokes about someone who is moody or being a jerk (to put it nicely) as being "Bipolar." Your Facebook page, your schedule, your day, your friend who is just and jerk are not Bipolar!

This type of stigma is why so many people are worried about talking about their mental health. People can become afraid to seek help because of the shame and stigma around mental illness.

I encourage you to watch what you say regarding mental health, don't joke about it and please educate yourself.

Here's a tiny bit of a start

Bipolar disorder is not DID:

 In DSM-5 (American Psychiatric Association 2013) dissociative identity disorder (DID) is described as a disruption of identity characterized by two or more distinct personality states or an experience of possession

Bipolar disorder is not Schizophrenia 

Bipolar disorder is not BPD: 
BPD means borderline personality disorder (which has nothing to do with Schizophrenia either) 

What is Bipolar Disorder?

Bipolar disorders are described by the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) as a group of brain disorders that cause extreme fluctuation in a person’s mood, energy, and ability to function.

Bipolar disorder is a category that includes three different conditions–bipolar I, bipolar II, and cyclothymic disorder.

• Bipolar I disorder is a manic-depressive disorder that can exist both with and without psychotic episodes
• Bipolar II disorder consists of depressive and manic episodes which alternate and are typically less severe and do not inhibit function
• Cyclothymic disorder is a cyclic disorder that causes brief episodes of hypomania and depression