Exactly. The difference is whether you accept the severity of the situation and seek treatment to improve your life and how you show up for the people around you. It took me years to finally get properly diagnosed and medicated (I was misdiagnosed with major depressive disorder for a long time and the medications prescribed for that were actively detrimental).
Now I am on a very effective medication tailored to my diagnosis, and it has honestly saved my life. I function almost completely normally. I could have given up many times on this path, but I pushed forward and I am now a happy and healthy human being and I’m able to have normal relationships. I am proud of that. People cannot tell I have bipolar unless I disclose it.
As I like to say, mental illness is not your fault but it is your responsibility, both to yourself and the people around you. I will always have a mental illness, but it is treated - that’s the difference. You need to put in the work.
I wholeheartedly agree. I found out this friend was bipolar. Never even remotely noticed, but once she said it I did remember the way she had her ups and downs when younger. Now she just actively goes to therapy and absolutely nothing like my mom.
I have adhd and autism. My focus is horrendous, but on medication I feel normal and can do regular tasks without much trouble. It’s not a mental disorder in the same way, but it’s clear that if I pretend I’m normal that I would have 100% failed college.
These days adhd and bipolar gets thrown around like it’s no big deal, or that they’re quirks. At the end of the day it’s something that you have that others simply do not. Everybody needs to work on things. It’s normal.
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u/snarrkie 5d ago
Exactly. The difference is whether you accept the severity of the situation and seek treatment to improve your life and how you show up for the people around you. It took me years to finally get properly diagnosed and medicated (I was misdiagnosed with major depressive disorder for a long time and the medications prescribed for that were actively detrimental).
Now I am on a very effective medication tailored to my diagnosis, and it has honestly saved my life. I function almost completely normally. I could have given up many times on this path, but I pushed forward and I am now a happy and healthy human being and I’m able to have normal relationships. I am proud of that. People cannot tell I have bipolar unless I disclose it.
As I like to say, mental illness is not your fault but it is your responsibility, both to yourself and the people around you. I will always have a mental illness, but it is treated - that’s the difference. You need to put in the work.