Oh Boy yay… It’s Monday …
Again.
I don’t know how the time goes by so quickly and I can swear it was just an hour ago that it was 4 am and I was contemplating what to do for a mental moment today and now just look how the time once again got away from me.
I am starting to think the time and the socks are in this together. It;s a diabolical plan to conquer the world, one minute and one sock at a time…
Wow you must think I am crazy.
Which brings me to the actual mental 3:56.
I try to do these mental moments in a way that is humorous and sometimes there is a lesson and sometimes its just plain silly fun, but the key point is for you to stop and take a moment and assess your own mental state and get a little break from the monotony of the day.
That’s true, that’s how it all started.. kinda. It’s too long of a story for a moment so we can talk about that another day.
All that aside, the bottom line is I am trying to get the word out about mental illness and the need to stop stigma and in particular, Bipolar Disorder.
I choose to focus on that because as most of you know, I have Bipolar Disorder.
But the stigma associated with being mentally ill covers all mental illness, just some more than others. Bipolar is one that is mistreated in many ways. The people who have it, are mistreated in many ways.
Stigma, comes from fear. We fear what we do not understand.
So for a moment, every once in a while, I want to remind everyone what these moments are really about and where they really come from (the mind of a person with mental illness. Cute and funny I know, 🙂 but crazy like …whatever just the same)
Although I am not an expert or educated in the field of psychology and psychiatry more than my own travels in the system and treatment, the clip you are about to see presents Bipolar Disorder rather well in my opinion.
And believe me I have seen a LOT of them. So I give it to, you just in case you really want to know, what IS Bipolar in general terms.
Maybe later this week I will make it a little more personal although those of you that are my regular peeps… I am pretty sure know much about my personal bipolar, even if you don’t know you do.
Alas the day is only getting later.
Enjoy!
Lizzie Cracked (not broken)
I saw a lady who had written a book and her title (personal title on the screen, not book title) was Expert Bipolar Patient. What do you think about that? I was oddly troubled and amused at the same time. Kinda like being…bipolar 🙄
Running Naked With Scissors 
Wow! A very good mental moment!
So how should someone have a relationship with a person with BPD?
Just be there? Try and be supportive (and accepting) through the highs and lows?
yup that’s a good start – good questions. Thanks for asking them because to tell you the truth, in my experience bipolar is a word that makes people run the other way.. I think maybe that topic deserves it;s own post or moment? Nobody ever asked me that before….
Well, I second El Guapo’s question. I think you should do a post on that. I thought the video was very informative. I’d say the only thing most of us know about Bi-polar is who has it that is famous. Lke Patty Duke, Carrie Fisher, Kristy McNicols, — And I know it’s serious. Thank god there is medication for it. I can’t think of any men who have it. I wonder if it affects woman more? But this is a good post and I think it’s very worthwhile to educate people through your blog. I’d say most people know of bi-polar but that’s about as far as it goes. And the more people know about it, the more they will understand it, and like you said, stigma comes from fear and we fear things we don’t understand. You are a very wise soul Lizzie! (hugs)!! 🙂
do you remember the post I did about … how I am a miracle baby and my mom getting bad medical advice and I mentioned that my brother and I were Irish Twins and you said you had never heard of that… we talked about how we sometimes take for granted that everybody else knows something simply because we do? Since then I have really tried to be aware of explaining what I am taking about – not taking for granted that everyone has seen a movie or.. whatever it may be… not in a superior I know more way because I don;t presume to know anymore than anyone else just a well if I know about it everyone else does too…
You and El Guapo have… made me realize that the one thing that is the biggest (non)thing on my blog… because I didn;t ever really want it to be about bipolar per say.. I never even contemplated that maybe I m talking about things that most people have no clue.
And it is such a simple thing when I thought about it actually. I worked in the Mental Health field at the time I was diagnosed..and knew nothing about what being bipolar really meant until I read every book I could find and … I forgot that.
THank you for reminding me. You and El Guapo too pointed something out to me that I took for granted. I said my peeps (that would be you of course and him and a few others as well) have seen my personal bipolar even if you don;t realize it..which is true but I had no idea how true ..I mean how could you know it if I never even said this is what it is, what it does….
I am a little verklempt.. a lot overwhelmed with the fact that I missed the obvious and ignored the ..I don;t know is it needed?.. in an effort to prove … yea maybe I thought I would prove that there is good in it too… but what does anyone have to measure it against if I dont bother with what it IS….
Would you want to know some of the darker side…you have seen my emotional journey…
I mean the darker things ..ways that being bipolar has affected me.. know what it does to a relationship…
I don’t want people to feel sorry for me… or.. well I don;t really know what to do now.. but thank you..
Yes I do remember us talking about you and your brother being Irish Twins. And I think you’ve made a really good point that we are so close to whatever it is we’re blog-talking about that we just assume that of course, no back explanations are needed. A blog is kind of like a stage that we walk out onto all by ourselves and start talking. We have no idea who is coming to listen to us. The lights are never turned up in the audience. A few people might clap or come up and tell us they liked it, but that’s all we know. Everything else about the audience is a mystery! So I guess we have to ask ourselves what are we doing here? It’s such a simple question and yet , for me, it doesn’t seem simple at all. I’m not sure why I am putting so many hours and energy into this. I mean, sure I enjoy it, but i enjoy alot of things. All I can say is something inside of me is prompting me to do this and I’m following my intuition even though I have no idea where I’m headed! LOL! So I guess what I’m trying to say is to follow your intuition, Lizzie, and you can’t go wrong! Sheesh! Could I have said it any wordier? HA!
I like wordy. It speaks to me..and I understand it. 🙂
A wonderful mental moment Lizzie. I’m right there with you.
thank you… 🙂
Lizzie, of course be open about the darker side. There are plenty bloggers with BPD. There is one in particular who has made it to my inbox strictly to thank me for being there during what was potentially the last dark moment.
The bottom line is the old version of BPD (MDD) got a really bad name. Too many people believe is it merely a behavior disorder which is the patient acting badly. Not to be callous, but something patients should just “get over because it is all in their heads”. How ironic? It is in the head. Ignorance is painful. Unfortunately, it is not painful enough for the ignorant to stop being ignorant.
You have a wonderful humor and are so creatively gifted. I agree with EG and Linda. Empower your audience with good information. I have children who fall in the 1 in 100 statistical group, and those who fall in the 1 in 15-25,000 group. Awareness is often more than half the battle. The video you chose is outstanding.
Whatever you decide, know your peeps will still be here. And so will I.
Red.
I had this long reply here…
The first time I have “lost” anything on WP. I probably just jinxed myself lol. Well once, a month or so ago I would type out a comment and then hit post and poof it would disappear. Turns out I was appearing in spam boxes everywhere, including my own when I linked a post to an older one.
Thank you for what you said. It makes tons of sense and if the original comment had survived, I had much to say and ask. ~sigh. Maybe I should check the spam box. Now that would be crazy. Replying to a comment on your own blog and going to spam.
Somehow, in the only-WP-could-do-it way, it would not surprise me in the least. Anything you want to ask, feel free. I have loads of answers and great resources for when I do not know first-hand.
Red.
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Lizzie, thank you for sharing this with us. Mental illness runs in my family – my grandmother, my mother, my sister & I. In my case I suffer from Panic Disorder & chronic depression. For years I tried everything in my power to get this under control without medication & every time I would slip back. Now I have finally given myself permission to accept the pharmacological help & live my live more fully because of it. I don’t share this with everyone because you’re right, there are stigmas attached to the names of the disorders & mental illness in general. I don’t get your highs, but I can certainly understand your lows & am always here if you need someone. Let’s lift the cover off this & blow it wide open.
thank YOU for sharing.. I have been so ..shocked at some of the misconceptions and … I mention a lot about tv shows.. any mental illness is so often given the added .. be afraid .,. sociopathic.. capable of murder.. kind of.. labels..well no wonder people get that wild look like where is the nearest exit when they find out someone is … mentally disordered… I have had someone I have known for years..and I never changed who or how I was.. I had never displayed any malicious or hateful tendancies… all those years .. and they knew Ihad depression but when bipolar was mentioned… just the word..it;s hardly fair.. the other misconception that is so hurtful and I bt you maybe have had to face this one too.. is that we choose to be depressed..or that a feeling of ..wanting to end it all is just a cry for attention…, guess what.. I know the last couple of times I never said a peep… how many others felt like that…and could have been saved? it breaks my heart… the highs are ..sometimes as bad as the lows.. and I get them mixed too which is .. unbearable sometimes… especially in the middle of it.. the dark thoughts of depression with no escape because it comes to me with insomnia… I am ready to try the pharmacological help again…so as soon as I get insurance.. I will be more open to it.. I have the things that help me here and there.. but I understand MY bipolar enough to know now what I can and can;t tolerate with meds.. I know what I dont want to lose…so maybe it will be better finding the right mix… I laugh about my quirks..but I wonder what life on normal time and a steadier .. existence might be like.. I had a small bout with the big D ..just yesterday…started the night before..and it was odd because the day before that I had thought ..what could possibly throw me down now?? something did.. but I recognized it.. and I think even though it surprised me..I may have been expecting it.. there is no flat line for me.. the ups come down and the downs back up..never to the middle unless I got them both…and that kinda middle isn’s a steady existence…sigh.. I too am here if you need someone… maybe we can change the world eh?
Just by being open about our difficulties & letting people know we are still just people not scary “Illnesses” I think we may have a chance at changing the world
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