Posted by greywolf on March 29, 2004, at 9:06:56
In reply to Re: That's not the whole story » greywolf, posted by jane d on March 29, 2004, at 1:52:37
Jane D:
I didn't say BP was over-diagnosed. My point is that it is not uncommon to hear people referring to themselves as bipolar or labeling other people as bipolar without any diagnosis being made at all. Kind of like the days when "manic-depressive" was lobbed at people with mood swings.
It's not a big issue, but from the perspective of a better public appreciation of a serious mental health issue like bipolar, I think accuracy in what you publicly represent as your disorder (if you choose to tell people) is important. I know several people who really think that bipolar is just being moodier than most, so if someone around them explains occasional irritability as a manifestation of BP when it's not and hasn't been diagnosed as such, it diminishes the significance of BP as a serious mental health problem in their eyes.
In my opinion, American society as a whole tends to write off depression and BP as personal shams, drug company scams, or the product of personal weakness--except in extreme cases where they can't dismiss the problem so easily (like a severe BP I). Over-diagnosing BP (if that's happening) or "over-claiming" of BP by those who haven't been diagnosed undermines public respect for the seriousness of the disorder and may diminish the likelihood that a person actually suffering from BP will get an informed and compassionate response from his acquaintances.
poster:greywolf
thread:328931
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040329/msgs/329770.html