Bipolar Disorder and the Common Misconception of Being Too Fragile

*Photo by Simran Sood on Unsplash

There is a misconception that anyone with bipolar disorder is mentally fragile.

Am I less of a person because I deal with life differently compared to a neurotypical individual?

Is there a right or wrong way to live life?

Who determines the expectations for how you should deal with life?

These questions offer insight into why and how anybody living with bipolar disorder can be seen as too fragile.

The Perspective of Being Too Fragile

There is a perception that anyone with a mental illness is too fragile to handle life. Specifically, I am talking about bipolar disorder.

Misconceptions can arise from ignorance, fear, laziness, and more.

When I was younger, I saw a movie.

It was a comedy and more like a satire. So, the situations were extremely exaggerated. To this day, I still remember a scene that found its way into my memory.

A gentleman sat on the stand in a courtroom. He answered various questions from a lawyer. The last one confused him. He covered his ears with his hands, closed his eyes, and screamed: “Stop yelling at me.”

When I first saw this film, I did not think anything about it. Now, I can see the harmful impact a situation like this can supposedly “harmlessly” have on others.

Why We Are Not Too Fragile

1. Those of us with a mental illness are not fragile

For some reason, there is a need to treat someone differently who lives with bipolar disorder.

You see this with anyone different from the social norm.

I have experienced this firsthand. Loved ones sometimes feel they need to walk on eggshells so they do not trigger their loved ones living with bipolar disorder. Most of the time, this feeling comes out of love. Not always.

I live with bipolar disorder and I want to be treated the same as the next person. Please do not single me out and treat me differently. I can handle it.

2. We are stronger than you can imagine

The majority of individuals experience life with its normal ups and downs.

We are an embodiment of all our experiences, morals, values, and dreams.

Adversity is a normal part of life.

Generally speaking, most people experience adversity episodically. If you live with a chronic illness, you experience it every second, minute, and hour of each day. It is not a single experience you have and then you move on.

Bipolar disorder is a chronic illness. Every single day I have to work to manage my bipolar disorder.

3. There is no “right” or “wrong” way to live your life

No person has the authority to tell you the way to live your life.

Whether you live with a mental illness or not, no one should be dictating how you live.

Figuring yourself out as a person is hard enough. Add a mental illness to the equation and it makes things just that much harder.

You need to find out who you are as a person.

One problem with bipolar disorder is how it changes your perspective.

Let us look at an example.

When you are stable, perhaps you enjoy staying at home, watching movies, and spending time with your family. Once you become hypomanic or manic, you could turn into an extreme extrovert going out every night.

Bipolar disorder is an illness. It does not define you as a person, but the episodes can completely change your personality.

Remember, it is an illness, not a decision.

My point is that you need to feel comfortable in your own skin.

Determine your values, morals, and code of ethics for yourself. If it changes, so be it.

4. Living with bipolar disorder, you feel emotions with more intensity than an NP

If you have not heard of an “NP”, let me enlighten you. It stands for a neurotypical person. A neurotypical person has the biological makeup of an individual without a mental illness. Their neurons work typically as compared to someone living with bipolar disorder.

There is a standard response between neurons in your brain. If you have a mental illness, these neurons slow down considerably or fire out of control.

Let us take an example.

If you are hypomanic or going into a manic episode, your neurons will fire faster and quicker than normal.

Let us call the neuron firing of an NP the normal biological threshold.

As you go into a hypomanic or manic episode, you will break this normal threshold.

Biologically speaking, we can feel emotions to a greater degree and intensity. 

Sorry, it is a fact.

Last Thoughts

I have read and heard several examples this past week related to the misconception of being too fragile.

A mental illness does not stamp the word “fragile” on your forehead. To everyone treating us this way: stop it!

Dealing with adversity daily mentally toughens me up. I enjoy lifting weights daily and I get to see my muscles strengthen and grow each day. That is the way with my mind.

I do not want to minimize the journey of anybody. Adversity is horrible. Period.

That being said, please do not minimize my journey by saying I am too fragile.

I am stronger than you can possibly imagine!