Stop Bipolar Stigma!
As the world celebrates International Bipolar Day today, I am humbled by the lives that have been impacted by this initiative. I am thankful because there is hope: ‘being diagnosed bi-polar is not a license to self-pity!’
“Several lives, families, communities and even nations have missed out on the wealth and value of highly talented, resourceful individuals, who had the potential to be problem solvers. Often times, a simple diagnosis that affirms that an individual is bi- polar could be the beginning of a ‘vote of no confidence’, and a display of actions that signal stigma. According to Bipolar Disorders Clinic, Bipolar is also “known as manic depressive illness and is characterized by severe and disabling highs (mania) and lows (depression)”. It goes on to say, “This illness typically begins in adolescence or early adulthood and continues throughout life, with 80% of patients experiencing multiple manic episodes and 15% ending their lives in suicide”.
My name is Precious. I was diagnosed bi-polar in 2003. I have been through, and seen in the lives of others, the ups and downs of bi-polar. It all brought me to a place of choice. I chose to blossom and come what may, I will blossom.”
#WorldBipolarDay2015