Why I’m Open About Being Mentally Ill
It’s not the right choice for everyone but it is for me
Talking about mental health can be tricky. Mental health issues, such as bipolar disorder, have always been stigmatized in our society. Because mental illness is not something that you can see, people don’t always believe that it’s there. There is no black and white testing that can definitively state that someone has a mental illness like you do when diagnosing a physical disorder such as diabetes.
Thus, when you are diagnosed with a mental illness, it can be extremely difficult to “come out” with it so to speak. Because of the stigma, many people keep it to themselves or only tell very close family members. I completely understand why. But, I’ve made a different choice for myself. I also have the privilege to do so.
Approximately 4.4% of the population of the United States struggles with bipolar disorder. It’s fairly even between men and women. I received my bipolar diagnosis in 2009 after I had what I call my bipolar breakdown. The symptoms hit me rather suddenly and life changed instantly.
Being open about my bipolar disorder, along with other mental health issues such as generalized anxiety disorder and ADHD, is the right decision for me. It didn’t start out that way. I had to ease into the diagnosis, how I felt as a mentally ill person, and…
