Don't you just hate the way the media portrays bipolar disorder?!


Question: Don't you just hate the way the media portrays bipolar disorder.?
Or any mental disorder for that matter.?

I'm bipolar and never in my life have I ever done the extreme things characters on TV do. I was watching 90210 earlier tonight and one of the characters was acting in that stereotypical hollywood way that bipolar disorder is presented. So I looked it up online, hoping I could have faith in TV again and it would be something else. Sure enough, spoilers say she's bipolar. She videotaped herself having sex with her boyfriend, showed it to a crowd, acted super stalkery, begging her boyfriend not to leave her, started a fire in his backyard, then broke into her teachers house and blamed him for it, then threw a bottle of champagne at him. All in one episode!

I've also watched a lifetime movie that was soooo grossly exaggerated it was ridiculous. So many teen shows have had "bipolar" characters, as well as more adult shows. All of them represent the bipolar person in the same light: crazy, psycho, hyper, obsessive, violent, promiscuous, angry, sad, ecstatic, self-destructive, etc.

As I said, I'm bipolar, take lithium, blah blah blah. I'm a senior in high school, third in my class, taking [and passing] four college classes, play on the tennis team, have a normal group of friends, am an avid amateur filmmaker, and have been accepted to one of the top schools in the nation.

[not trying to toot my own horn, just making a point]

I'm basically the boy next door. Never in my life have I ever behaved the way these so-called bipolar characters behave. I know there are certain bipolar people out there who do act like that if they don't take their meds, but it's a much smaller percentage compared to the well-adjusted, well-functioning, positive, creative, intuitive members of society that are bipolar.

It's the same way with other illnesses [god, I hate that word] too. The media takes the very extreme worst case scenario and makes it seem as though that's the norm. Nevermind all the brilliant innovators before us that had mental disorders, let's just focus on the worst of the worst, that'll get ratings!

It's ridiculous.Health Question & Answer


Answers:
There is the very rare case of bipolar where they are out of control angry (and unmedicated to boot) but those are the very fringe extreme, even for us. It does create a bad name for all of us, on the other hand if you read enough of the "I think I'm bipolar" questions here they say things like "I was happy 10 minutes ago, now I'm angry. I must be bipolar". that view if it trivializes what we deal with. I have been full on manic and pissed off at a man..... I wanted to throw rocks at his house and key his car etc..... but even then I managed to restrain myself.......

All it does is contribute to the stigma caused by ignorance and fear..... It would be nice to for once to see a show that portrays us as we are..... intelligent, creative people who deal with an illness....... God forbid a diabetic be looked down on like we are.....Health Question & Answer

I'm Bipolar 1, medicated, and fairly normal.Health Question & Answer

I hate it too. My sis is bipolar, so I have first-hand experience. However, she also has some other disorder with her brain that makes her bipolar twenty times worse. She's on ten different medications and is still acting like a bipolar kid, the way they act on T.V. But I hate it that people automatically step farther away from her when I tell them that she's bipolar.Health Question & Answer

My sis, myselfHealth Question & Answer



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