I’ve heard the word “bipolar” being thrown around like a dirty rag to describe the most simple and tame experiences. An example of this is, “I hate this shirt that I bought earlier this week; I am SO bipolar!” The quick, few hours-long elevation and few hours of sorrow has no right to be compared to the four or more days of manic and depressive episodes of clinical Bipolar disorder. While using the word “bipolar” as a simple adjective may not seem like a significant issue, it diminishes the strength of people who have this complex disorder.
Bipolar is a damaging, exhausting, and life-altering disorder. My episodes can make me reckless and seen as “unable to function.” My Grandfather suffered from schizophrenia and Bipolar 1, while my Mother and Sister suffer from Bipolar 2. 1 out of 150 people suffer from bipolar disorder, type 1 or type 2 (World Health Organization). There’s a pretty good chance you, yourself, have met someone with bipolar.
Chris O’Sullivan, a blogger who is diagnosed with bipolar 2, describes his experience with bipolar: “Mood swings coloured my school and university experiences. I cycled rapidly between deep depression and hypomania.” He goes more in depth about hypomania by saying, “I had some embarrassing moments of drunkenness, self-harm, obnoxiousness, and accrued debt. By the time I felt properly back on an even keel seven years later, I had accrued nearly £50,000 of unsecured debt, which had taken a decade to pay back.”
The National Alliance on Mental Illness states that referring to a normal change in mood as “bipolar” can be considered a stigma. This same alliance conducted the The Harris Poll in which 84% of people who responded said that stigma, directly experienced or internalized from societal ideas, is a barrier to seeking treatment for mood disorder symptoms.
There is a clear line between an adjective and a disorder characterized by reckless behavior, suicidal ideation, delusions, and low self-esteem. The line is clear; however, many people take the clarity of the line to mean insignificance. In 2016, a report by the National Alliance on Mental health concluded that “there is no country, society or culture where people with mental illness have the same societal value as people without mental illness.” If we drain the meaning of the word bipolar to the point of actual bipolar symptoms being seen as psychotic, we are stripped of the title of being human even more than we already are.
I beg of people to see people with Bipolar Disorder with not only compassion for our symptoms, but also with respect and love for us beyond our disorder. Compassion for symptoms is only one step of a journey to creating a society where all people with all mental illnesses, not just Bipolar, are embraced and receive the same respect as someone we deem “fully functional.”
“Bipolar Disorder.” World Health Organization, World Health Organization, www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/bipolar-disorder. Accessed 20 Feb. 2025.
Beyer, Anna Lee. “Coping with Bipolar Disorder Stigma.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 16 Feb. 2023, www.healthline.com/health/coping-with-bipolar-disorder-stigma-and-other-challenges#takeaway. ‘
Janice Schreier, L.C.S.W. “Living with Bipolar Disorder.” Mayo Clinic Health System, Mayo Clinic Health System, 12 Apr. 2023, www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/living-with-bipolar-disorder.
“Stigma, Prejudice and Discrimination against People with Mental Illness.” Psychiatry.Org – Stigma, Prejudice and Discrimination Against People with Mental Illness, www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/stigma-and-discrimination. Accessed 20 Feb. 2025.
“What It’s like to Have Bipolar.” Mental Health Foundation, 30 Mar. 2016, www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/blogs/what-its-have-bipolar.
“Living with the Stigma of Bipolar.” WebMD, WebMD, www.webmd.com/bipolar-disorder/features/blog-bipolar-face-stigma Accessed 20 Feb. 2025.
“Mental Illness Stigma.” Healthdirect, Healthdirect Australia, www.healthdirect.gov.au/mental-illness-stigma. Accessed 20 Feb. 2025.
