Having Bipolar Disorder Does Not Make You Bad

Having bipolar disorder does not make you bad, or a bad person. But sometimes it does make you do bad things, like when you're in a bipolar episode.

I'm not saying that you don't have to take responsibility for the things you do during these episodes, because you do, but I am saying that there is a distinction to be made that you probably wouldn't have done these things if you weren't in a bipolar episode.

Here's an example. One time I was in a bipolar manic episode. I bought $64 worth of make up that I didn't need. Don't ask me why I bought it - somehow I had it justified to myself. I also didn't realize it totalled $64! That's a lot of money, especially just for make up.

But I did it. Only because I was in an episode. That doesn't mean that I'm a bad person. It just means I did something wrong because I have bipolar disorder and it made me do it.

There is a difference between who and what we are and what we do. What I mean by that is that I may do something stupid, but that doesn't mean that I AM stupid. See the difference?

I tried to teach my children that when they were growing up, because kids can be so mean, and kids at school would call each other names like stupid and such. That's why I love that Forrest Gump quote so much: "Stupid is as stupid does."

First and foremost, we are people. Just people. With our own identities. Only secondly are we people with a mental illness. There is a difference. We are NOT our disorder! We HAVE a mental disorder, but that does NOT mean that we ARE that disorder!

I always say that I HAVE bipolar disorder. I never say that I AM bipolar. I always try to make that distinction. It may not seem like much, but it is to me.

It helps me to remember to distinguish between who I am as a person (me) and what I have (bipolar disorder). And the fact that these are two totally different things.

Like I said before, having bipolar disorder does NOT make you a bad person, but it CAN cause you to do bad things sometimes, especially if you're in a bipolar episode. The best thing you can do is to take responsibility for the consequences of what you did during that episode, and then move forward. You are NOT a bad person - you are simply a person with a mental illness. You are a survivor! And survivors get better!

Remember to check out my new bipolar book. Click here: www.brokenroseministries.com

Wishing you peace and stability,

Remember God loves you and so do I,
Michele