Hi,

Recently I was actually accused about not having a life outside of bipolar disorder. Someone actually told me that all I ever think about is the disorder, and that everything I do is about the disorder. That kind of made me think.

I had to ask myself, “Do I not have a life outside of bipolar disorder?

Because to me, I am always encouraging people to make lives outside of the disorder – to not let

the disorder take over their lives, and that can happen if you let it.

So have I let it happen to me? Does my whole life center around bipolar disorder? I really had to take a long hard look at that. And I figured out that the way I see bipolar disorder is as if it were an entity of its own – something outside the person.

There are so many cases, like with my mom, where people describe the disorder as not being like their loved one, as if it were someone else. That’s what I’m talking about.

And this entity, well, I have to tell you, honestly, I hate it. I really hate it. I hate it for what it did to my mom and our family, and for what it is doing to people and their families every day. I actually HATE bipolar disorder. If it were a person, I would actually want to do harm to it. Maybe that sounds silly, but that’s the way I see it and the way I feel.

Bipolar disorder does have characteristics that are almost human—it can LIE to you, telling you that you don’t even have the disorder! Or that you don’t need your medication…Or that your doctor isn’t a good doctor, or that you’re just fine, that you’ve been misdiagnosed, and on and on.

Bipolar disorder is a LIAR! Don’t listen to its lies!

It is the only disease that tells you that you don’t have the disease!

I wish there were some way I could stop it, like I could if it were a real human being,

but there isn’t. But what I wish I could do and what I can do are two different things.

Just like always, the only way to get the better of the disease is for the person with it to take their medication and stick to a good treatment plan.

One of the ways that bipolar disorder lies to you is to tell you that you can do this all by

yourself – that you don’t need anyone else to help you. It discourages you from depending on your supporter or from joining a bipolar support group, where you can meet other people

facing some of the same things that you are.

This can hurt the person with bipolar, because when they start thinking that they can handle

everything by themselves and don’t need a support system, they tend to relapse and go

into a bipolar episode.

Bipolar disorder is a LIAR!!! Don’t listen to its lies!

It will tell you that you’ll never get better. It will tell you that you’ll always be like this.

It will tell you that there’s no chance for recovery or even stability. These thoughts can really discourage you, and even depress you.

Don’t listen to the lies of bipolar disorder!

Well, I have to go!

Your Friend,

Dave