Recent revelations by stars such as Catherine Zeta-Jones and Demi Lovato have put Bipolar disorder in the news. Both women bravely spoke out about their struggle with the disorder, which is often mischaracterized and misunderstood. Catherine Zeta-Jones publicly announced her battle with the disorder recently, however in recent days her husband Michael Douglas revealed to Oprah that she came out with the story for fear of being "outed" by another patient in the treatment program. No matter what her reasons were for disclosing her diagnosis, it sheds a light on the disease that brings on highs and lows with periods of mania and depression, all varying depending on the person. Bipolar disorder impacts approximately 5.7 million Americans and the symptoms and treatment vary person to person. Bi-polar is one of the diagnosises that have grown exponentially over the last 20 years. In fact, the new DSM-V is creating a new diagnosis (Temper dysregulation with dysphoria) to specifically target bi-polar disorder in young people. With celebrities bringing their struggles to the public, it is a good opportunity to open the conversation and understand mental health issues and begin to remove the stigma.
This is a really interesting read. I was diagnosed with Bipoalr at the age of 17 and really had a torrid time at School because there was confusion between me just been a moody teen and Bipolar.
Thankfully mental health is taken more seriously these days and the NHS do a fantastic job.
There is a stigma about mental health that really does need dealing with. I always try to promote mental illness in a positive. Its true! there is life after diagnosis
For people researching bipolar I write a Blog that is full of my personal experiences and information. I hope you find it useful. Mental Health has positive side that is often overlooked.
http://www.lithiumandchips.com (for the blog)
Posted by: Andrew | August 27, 2011 at 02:18 PM