I feel like stigma will always be there
I need to vent about something. I feel hopeless that the bias against persons wtih depressive disorders of all kinds will never end. I used to think we would come to a place in society where this can be changed but I don't think so.
I got my diagnosis changed yesterday from Major Depressive Disorder to Bipolar 2. I am starting on Lithium which gets a lot of negative attention. Let me tell you, the LIthium is going to save my life. This proves that it is a brain problem and not my character or my will to be positive.
I was having mood swings every day, and it was exhausting!!!! The Lithium is leveling those things out, I can actually have a complete thought without crying now. But will I share this information without the shroud of anonymity? LIkely not. I used to think wow if you take Lithium, man you are heavy duty crazy. Yet here I am.
I now know what it is like to be in a marginalized group of people, yet most would not know it. I will gradually get my life back, but I will never work again, as I am at high risk of suicide and I just don't get along with people anymore. I can't remember squat.
Thanks for letting me vent.
Hi! Good luck with your new treatment. I hope that it helps you in the long term to have a better quality of life, and more internal and external peace.
It sounds like you see bipolar as a more valid diagnosis than depression, though. Keep in mind that these are both illnesses of the brain that require medical treatment. I hope I'm misunderstanding you; maybe you're saying that you feel that the general public sees it this way?
I have a hard time getting along with people too, so I can relate. It takes a lot of work on top of the meds to get to a good place sometimes, but the right med can really make that work easier.
Oh, no I did not mean to "compare" the diagnoses... for me it is the correct one and the treatment is more on target. I did not mean to compare. Actually I have several diagnoses... all needing their own considerations. I have GAD, Bipolar2, and PTSD. ALso thyroid disease (hashimoto's). So not to say I am more or less or different than anyone else, but now I can finally get better medical treatment. Where I live, it is hard to get reliable treatment so I traveled to the nearest larger city. That was the right decision!
It is a combination of things that are helping. Therapy with a nonjudgemental therapist for one, some cbt I learned on my own, tracking my moods, watching my diet, and getting moderate exercise even if it is only walking around my house five times.
Some days this seems like way too much but if I do positive things at least every other day, I am winning. I am still here!
Actually, my original thought was at least in my family and friends circle, BIpolar is more stigmatized. The term is used rather loosely, as in: "oh, you are bipolar today" if someone is in a bad mood. Or if someone is hard to get along with they say: "oh, she's bipolar or something" It hurts when I hear this because they clearly have no idea what bipolar disorder costs the patient and the family. It is a tricky thing to manage, and it takes a lot of dedication to manage it in a family or in an individual.
I guess that was my original thought. I am much less likely to share my dx of bipolar with persons outside my family where I was not so afraid to share the dx of depression.
Just my opinion, my own experience.
I got you. I did misunderstand you--sorry for that. You're right; the stigma will never go away.
Case in point: My brother is a soldier. He actually said one day that PTSD is "f****ing BS." I had such a hard time getting along with people on the job that I started working for myself, at home. He very obviously thinks I'm a lazy loser and that I don't really do anything. There will always be people like this in the world.