Can You Catch Bipolar Disorder?

Hey, y'all --

I hope you're doing well and stable today. It's snowing like crazy here, but the pretty kind. Of course, I'm not out on the roads, either! Me and my bipolar are inside my cozy little house, being nice and mellow today, thank you very much!

Did you see the title of this post? Do you believe some people really believe that you can catch bipolar disorder like you can catch the common cold? It's true. There have been times that I've told people that I have bipolar, and they've actually backed away from me. Like they were frightened, ya know?

Other people have told me the same thing. They have even told me that they've been asked, "Is it contagious?" (don't laugh, the person asking it was absolutely serious) or, "Can someone else catch it from you?" (again, the person was serious).

It's not that I'm making light of this. In fact, I'm doing the opposite. This scares me. Because it goes to show how people still don't know enough about bipolar disorder not to be afraid of it (and us who have it).

Maybe it's our fault. Maybe we're not educating enough people about the disorder. Maybe we're the ones who are afraid. Are we keeping our mouths shut, afraid to tell others we have bipolar disorder, afraid of what they'd think of us if they knew?

I'm not saying I'm a shining example. I am absolutely not perfect (as those of you who follow this blog truly know). In fact, I'm probably crazy for doing what I do! :) But I talk about bipolar disorder everywhere I go. And, almost always, I get a positive response.

Usually, the response I get is either that the person has it (you'd be surprised how many people do), they have someone in their family who does, or they know someone who does. Then we stop and talk about it. (They usually ask me a LOT of questions!)

I'm not afraid to be so transparent, because I believe (and this is only my personal belief) that more people need to be informed about mental illness in general, and bipolar disorder in specific. I also talk about my sister, because so many people have lost a loved one to suicide, and they are still so lost, so much in grief, and they just don't understand how bipolar disorder could have taken the life of their loved one (like it did my sister).

If we don't teach people about bipolar disorder, who is going to? With the economy the way it is, one of the first things being cut is grants for mental illness. So who's going to educate the people? Who's going to tell a family member why their loved one is acting the way they do? Who's going to tell your friends and family why you act the way you do if you don't?

I'm sorry, I don't mean to preach. Telling someone that you have bipolar disorder is a personal decision. I feel strongly about that. So I'm not telling you what to do. I know that some people have really gotten hurt when they told people.

But I also feel strongly that we need to put a face on mental illness. People need to see that just because we have bipolar disorder, doesn't mean that we're crazy with a capital C. They need to see that we can be highly functional people, creative, productive, successful, happy, and stable (with a capital S :))

WE have to put a face on bipolar disorder, because nobody else is going to!

Do you agree or disagree with me on this?

Wishing you peace and stability,

Remember God loves you and so do I,
Michele