10 Bipolar Misconceptions

1. Bipolar disorder is not an illness

2. Ones with bipolar disorder cannot keep a stable job or hold a position of authority

3. All moods are a product of the bipolar disorder

4. Bipolar disorder is responsible for every bad thing a person does, thinks, or says

5. People with bipolar disorder are inherently unstable or violent

6. Everyone with bipolar disorder is the same as far as their illness goes

7. Ones with bipolar disorder have it because of their upbringing

8. Pure will and determination can get one out of mood swings

9. Bipolar disorder defines who you are

10. Ones with bipolar disorder can snap out of it

These are just a few of the misconceptions surrounding bipolar disorder. Have any to add?

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What Influence Do Attitudes and Behaviour Have?

There seemed to have been some confusion regarding my last post, so I’m going to cover this topic more extensively today. I had talked about how the use of  “masks” can help to fill the void in between your mood and some type of normalcy.  This was not supposed to come across as hiding your true self and be fake but how the masks can have a positive effect. So lets talk about it more.

I read a post over the weekend that I loved and it may supplement this topic. If you have time, please read that post here. It talked about how our attitude can influence our behaviour and how our behaviour can influence our attitude.

“Leonardo da Vinci also observed that it’s no mystery why it is fun to be around happy people and depressing to be around depressed people. He also observed the melancholy that painters usually give to portraits. He attributed that to the solitariness of the artist and their joyless environment. 

According to Giorgio Vasari (1568) that while painting the Mona Lisa Leonardo employed singers, musicians and jesters to chase away his melancholy as he painted. The musicians and jesters forced him laugh and be joyful. This behavior created the attitude of joy and pleasure as he painted. As a result, he painted a smile so pleasing that it seems divine and as alive as the original.” 

This was an excerpt from the post I mentioned above. I found it quite interesting that something so simple could positively influence something that had such a profound effect. That being said, why can’t ones with a mental illness do this as needed?

Putting on a “mask” or projecting an attitude/behaviour that is more pleasing than our mood can have a positive effect. Those with a mental illness all know that no matter how hard you try to cover your moods/emotions up that they still peek through. When I’m depressed or irritable you are going to know it regardless so I’m not fooling anyone. But I choose to improve that by “masking” or projecting a more positive mood. Not only does that make me easier to be around but it improves (by however slim or great a margin) my mood. So when your mood is on the negative side of things, why not project a more positive outlook and actually improve it?