"You don't want to get better."
"If you would just act happy then may you would BE happy."
"You're sucking the life out of me."
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Depression (and/or manic depression; aka: Bipolar Disorder) is a treatable medical illness involving an imbalance of brain chemicals called neurotransmitters and neuropeptides. It’s not a character flaw or a sign of personal weakness. Just like you can’t “wish away” diabetes, heart disease, or any other physical illness, you can’t make depression go away by trying to “snap out of it.”
Nearly six (6) million adult Americans are affected by bipolar disorder. Like depression and other serious illnesses, bipolar disorder can also negatively affect spouses and partners, family members, friends, and coworkers.
People with bipolar disorder experience bipolar depression (the lows) more often than mania or hypomania (the highs). Bipolar depression is also more likely to be accompanied by disability and suicidal thinking and behavior.
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So yeah...Think before you speak. Just because the illness isn't visible to the naked eye, it still exists. And it's fucking painful to experience.
You are so right. It's tough to battle the illness AND the misconceptions at the same time. Focus on you.
ReplyDeleteThank you for talking about these things. Because people do need to understand that invisible illnesses exist and don't just go away because you don't see them. You can't just turn them off with willpower. That's like telling someone with cancer to think healthy thoughts and the cancer will go away. Umm, no. It's not that easy. Stay strong my dear, and keep educating those around you.
ReplyDeleteThis is what I think almost every day, when I struggle with ppd and when someone hurts me by their stupid reaction. It's so frustrating sometimes! Just make sure you KNOW this, because it's even harder when you start to believe deep down that you should be able to snap out of it.
ReplyDeleteThank you for writing this!
Amen to that.
ReplyDeletepreach it, sister. Good words. Mirjam is right, too, keeping hold of the fact that the insensitive clueless people arent right, that its not that we want to feel the way we feel, react the way we do, think the way we do.. Invisible illness is real.
ReplyDeletelove you.
Dear heaven...is this ever true!!
ReplyDelete