While one in five people will experience mental illness over the course of their lifetimes, everyone will face challenges that can and will affect their mental health. Observed every year on October 10, World Mental Health Day seeks to raise awareness of mental health issues and highlights efforts to support mental health.
Acknowledging the state of one’s mental health issues is important, and so is being able to seek help when you’re struggling. ACA has provided sharable graphics and resources to support counselors around the world who play a crucial role for those struggling with their mental health.
Of the many harmful stigmas associated with mental illness, few have been as incorrectly portrayed and glamorized in pop culture as bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression. This continual misinformation perpetuates a false narrative of how this disorder manifests and affects those who have been diagnosed. As a result, these myths and misconceptions place an undue and unnecessary burden on those living with the condition to educate those who have been misinformed. It often forces them to be subjected to criticism, scrutiny and skepticism by friends and loved ones when their symptoms don’t align themselves with what is so often (incorrectly) portrayed in television, literature and film.
To many, bipolar disorder means someone suffering from volatility, unpredictability and mood swings. Yet, bipolar disorder involves and encompasses so much more than someone with poor emotional control. For starters, the very term “mood swings” minimizes and undermines the severity of the periods of extreme highs and lows associated with bipolar disorder. These distinct cycles of manic highs and depressive lows can be devastating, isolating and exhausting. These changes in behaviors are often not as immediate as frequently portrayed (switching from a manic high to a depressive low multiple times a day is extremely rare and often indicative of another mental health condition) and tend to last days or weeks at a time. Not only do these highs and lows affect a person’s mood, but their energy levels, physical health and, in some extreme cases, their ability to carry out daily tasks.
Bipolar disorder is difficult to diagnose and can often get overlooked or confused with other mental illnesses. Since bipolar disorder tends to worsen without treatment, it’s important to learn what the symptoms really look like as well as the myths and facts associated with the disorder. Below are the 4 common myths and facts associated with bipolar disorder.