Jack Road wrote:I recently got diagnosed with bi-polar, which isn't something I agree with. But it was interesting how many things on this list I have struggled with.
I would never tell anyone in a professional setting that I have been diagnosed with bi-polar though. That seems like a death sentence.
On the subject of the social stigma and ignorant presumption; back when I was agoraphobic with a severe panic disorder, I'd never heard of that and claimed bi-polar to get out of jury duty, because I'd heard of it, and figured anything was better than "scared to go". Then I went to 4 psychiatrists to get them to tell me I was bi-polar, because I thought it was a treatable thing, with lithium. Early in sobriety so about 20 years ago, but my ignorance reflected things at the time, it was actually a lot worse than now. They all said I wasn't, and it was like a couple years before I could accept that "being scared" wasn't the worst, compared to something I'd at least heard of. Which I now know isn't just fixed with lithium, duh, but that's how much awareness has changed. It took working with my awesome shrink, who specialized in women with ptsd and panic disorders, to figure out, but no one else had any clues about these things, it really is so different now (thus explaining why there are actual fakes, those "hobbyist" types I mentioned).
Soon after, I met my first friend who did have genuine bi-polar, he had this great family, had raised terrific kids, and seemed to have it all together. Then he lost it one day, and I was just glad we reached his wife, and figured it was over - but the fact is, he was so embarrassed, I almost lost him as a friend then, and wound up finding out he did let friends go when that happened. That was with zero violence, he just was confused, maybe partly kind of pissed off but it just seemed like confused to me. The real problem, that amazed me coming from someone who'd already said he had this and was treating it conscientiously, was his embarrassment, that blew my mind, but turned out to be very real.
Also, like what I'm seeing a lot of posted here, there's the ignorant, or just plain stupid, way so many (very much including a lot of professionals) deal with labels. A lot of things that are just normal reactions are viewed completely differently when you're labelled, and even worse, if you don't have really good coverage or just the right medical resources, all this is totally as bad in professional settings where they should damn well know better. I live very near the local, and notoriously bad, hospital and "takes shit coverage" clinic, so I've seen a lot of this, includiing with employees. In this country, just having medicaid willl do it, as that's a label too; the first several (don't even remember) doctors I went to after Obamacare started, automatically treated me like I absolutely had to be both a moron and out of my mind; the one that actually ordered records was one of the worst, so when they found out I actually do have cancer (none had believed it, seriously, I kept walking out for the way I was treated), they called so much I had to tell them to get rid of my phone number; apparently they thought I didn't understand that right or something, after I'd told them in a first place. The issues with Obamacare are another thing, but the way labels work, very much including with professionals, is goddamn terrifying.
Edit: @Mr. Nop, aren't you a musician, thus explaining damn near anything? Some labels do work :lol:
Skooma seems the type of person to chase me down and force me at gun point to receive their encomium with good graces. ~Jack Road
* I got caught in the crossfire of one of skooma's fucking frisbees ~Sister Morphine