I think it’s hard to explain exactly what bipolar is. Although I’ve struggled with it for years now, I don’t even think I could properly explain what this disorder entails. Am I manic, depressed or in a state of numbness? This is the question I ask myself every single time someone asks, “well what state are you in now?”. To be honest, I don’t think I ever know fully what state I am in. What I do know is that there are many common misconceptions about this disorder that I’d love to share some knowledge on, and hopefully help other people to understand more about it.

Please don’t disregard our emotions

My biggest pet peeve is when people disregard my general emotions and the way I react to things with comments like “oh, they’re just having an episode” or “oh, it’s just the bipolar”, when in reality, I am just feeling normal everyday emotions like sadness, anger and excitement. This can be incredibly condescending and really hurtful.

Our moods don’t fluctuate a million times a day

Another thing that I’d like people to know is that our moods do not fluctuate a million times a day. These drastic changes in mood can last for up to two weeks for me personally and it’s absolutely exhausting. The mania is a period where I feel elevated and may feel happy sometimes. But for the most part, mania is filled with anger, extreme irritability and risk-taking behaviour such as starting fights and substance use.

After this period ends, the comedown is terrible and to put it in layperson’s terms, it feels like being hit by a truck. The depression is a period where I feel absolutely exhausted and am much more likely to have suicidal thoughts during this time.

Take us seriously 

Another thing I’d like people to know is just because our moods fluctuate like this, it doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be taken seriously. Growing up I was always met with confusion from others who would say things like: “Why are you so depressed now? You were happy only the other day”. This could be seen from others as ‘attention-seeking’ behaviour whereas in my brain, it was, and still is almost a constant fight for survival and energy.

Listen to us and treat us with compassion

Overall, I’d just like to encourage everyone to actually listen to people with this disorder and hear about their experiences. I can speak for everyone with this disorder when I say it’s a bit frustrating to hear ten times a day “the weather is so bipolar”, or if someone has a tiny mood swing, they’re met with people saying they’re bipolar too! These comments can just be really condescending and invalidate our own experiences. 

By taking the time to listen to people with this disorder, you’ll find that we are not aggressive, or ‘crazy’, we just have to work a little harder than everybody else to deal with our emotions and moods.

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