loveon2legs

Hi everyone...hope all is well....
I am bipolar...and my family is aware of it..the thing I just don't understand are the comments made by my mother...if I am abit snappy or moody..she will say things like "are you close to your period"!!!! or are "you in a mood" very sarcastically....it really gets to me...and I say to her...have you forgotten something important about me?? I have a MOOD DISORDER!! sometimes people, especially family can be so insensitive.....do any of you experience this..???

nandm

It has been my experience that unless someone has experienced mental illness of any sort they find it hard to show empathy and understanding to those who suffer. Their intentions may be good, they may be doing their best to be supportive in their own way but that does not mean they understand and can empathize with the problem.

I would suggest you get "The Bipolar Handbook" by Wes Burgess. It is written in a question and answer format and it quite useful and explanatory to both the person who suffers from bipolar disorder but their families as well. I have found it to be a great resource.

dsmaxis10

Ya my brother told me to work out and then he said its anti depressant real snooty. At the time I was so down , brushin my teeth was half days work. And he said if your dont work ya shouldnt eat well I"m disabled with a dsmaxis of 40 basically on able to work and will do poorly in school with that rating. One other brother and sister bumd a bunch of money of me never paid me back when I can"t work to get more. But the worst was my first and last AA sponsor who after I said health care pros said for me to apply for disabilty, he said people who take meds and collect disabilty are the lowest forms of people on earth. People are insenitive but thatsblatent racism. I was pist to say the least and my dad said your gonna have to deal with it the rest of your life. My dad would put pressure on me to go to work the day I got out of a pscyward. I should of applied for disability 2.5 yrs ago but my dad wanted to beat a dead horse. Thank GOD for my mom she went alanon and got a black belt not taking s--- from alcholics me my dad and one of my brothers. My dad almost had a heart attack when I'd told turned down a job in the carpentars union. Put alot of pressure on me to call them back. I was working with some non union carps a couple a months before that but my symtoms were so bad I lost it. My dad new that and if I said yes all I would of done is embarres myself and burned a bridge my last to the carps union. And I told a church I wanted to get baptized talk the the guy who does them told him I was bipolar he never called me back.I have been told over a 1000 stigma based things at AA the capital of it. I still go in my opion the people at dbsa are way more spiritual without even talking about spirituality.Anyways I could go on forever about this thanks for the thread!!!

Freedom1990

I agree with this wholeheartedly. My family does not understand, nor do they wish to understand mental illness.

I just flat out do not discuss my mental illness with my family.

loveon2legs

I think most of us have unfortunately experienced this....it's hard enough most days to get by with this disorder, then to have family/friends etc shun us or make unkind comments hurts us....I guess we just have to develop thicker skins in this world!!! We are who we are, and we deserve and should expect the best!!!! xo