Myths vs. Facts

MYTH: Bipolar is a state of mind and if a person thinks positively enough it will go away.
FACT: Bipolar is a REAL, treatable illness of the brain that can't be overcome by "snapping out of it".

MYTH: Treatment is a cop-out for those who are too weak to cope with day-to-day life.
FACT: Seeking treatment takes courage and is a smart decision.

MYTH: Talk therapy is just whining about problems and doesn't help.
FACT: Talk therapy has been tested clinically and found to be effective. Good talk therapy can help change behaviors that make a person's mood less stable.

MYTH: Medications that treat mood disorders are addicting. They also change a person's personality.
TRUTH: When properly prescribed and used, meds are not addictive and do not change a person's true personality. Medications help a person's mood become more stable and even. They do not cloud one's judgement.

MYTH: People with mood disorders can't get better.
TRUTH: When correctly diagnosed and treated, a person with bipolar disorder can life a stable and healthy life. Millions of people already do.

MYTH: People with bipolar are dangerous.
TRUTH: Research shows people with mental illness do not commit significantly more violent acts than the general population. They are, however, twice as likely to be the victim of violence.

MYTH: People with bipolar should not have children.
TRUTH: People who have been treated for mood disorders can parent as well as anyone else.

MYTH: People with bipolar are not stable enough to hold positions of authority in fields like law enforcement of government.
TRUTH: People with mood disorders can and do hold positions of authority everywhere. When properly treated, a person's mood disorder does not have to affect job performance.
*I encourage you to look at my very first post. Presidents, astronauts, soldiers, philosophers, etc. have all lead profound lives while struggling with bipolar.

MYTH: Suicide is not a problem in the US.
TRUTH: Each year over 30,000 people in the US take their own lives. More than 90% of these people are believed to have had a mental illness.

*DBSA Pamphlet www.DBSAAlliance.org