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Originally Posted by blackroses
I believe most of us are somewhat "bipolar". It's the new term for moodiness. Every decade they come up with some new way of diagnosing fairly normal human reactions and behavior. Almost everyone I know would probably be diagnosed with this if they put themselves in the position of being analyzed by some psychiatrist or health care professional. Yes, many people have extreme moodiness which interferes with their life and should be treated, but it's only a matter of degree. Honestly, anyone who can live in this crazy world and not be moody or somewhat "bipolar" is probably a corpse  (and yes, we do have some of those walking amongst us too  ). But all the creative geniuses...musicians, artists, poets, and so on, most likely have some degree of this. Not to worry David. You're in good company.
My best friend is a clinical psychologist who works with one of the most well-known psychiatrists in the country. They believe this is just another one of the latest diagnosis fads. Not cancer by a long shot. Just normal human reactions to life, and they do not believe it should necessarily be termed a "disorder" unless the behavior is highly disabling and bizarre. Anyway, just another perspective to consider.  |
I worked psych nursing for several years, and I see what you're saying - to a point. While I do agree that there is a problem with overdiagnosis (whether it be by a clinician trying to put a simple label on someone, or by a person reading symptoms on WebMD & thinking "hey, I have that!"), bipolar is a very real mental illness.
There are several psych diagnoses that, IMO, are ridiculous(personality disorder comes to mind - the patient is basically manipulative & attention-seeking). But bipolar can actually be caused by a chemical imbalance - it's depression along with manic phases. Some people may use this as an excuse to "misbahave" or as a way to explain away their behaviors ("well, I couldn't help it, cuz I'm bipolar") but for many people it is real & can really affect their lives negatively.
Is it as serious & debilitating as paranoid schizophrenia? No way. But that doesn't mean it's a fake diagnosis. Does everyone who has similar symptoms have it? No. But that doesn't mean that nobody has it.