Common Myths About Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder is one of many psychological disorders that have been misunderstood over the years. There have been a lot of myths surrounding the disease and a lack of education about the ailment.

Myth and Fact 1

• Myth: Someone who has mood swings must be bipolar.
  Fact: Bipolar disorder does include having mood swings, sometimes extreme mood swings. But that is not all there is too it. Most people who have bipolar disorder will have mood swings that are so severe and extreme that they will interfere with the normal things of life. Job, school work, family relationships and other normal parts of life will be directly affected by the severity of many of the mood swings.

Myth and Fact 2

• Myth: The only symptoms of bipolar are shifting back and forth from being extremely happy to very depressed.
  Fact: Bipolar does include a depressed mood and a happy mood for many people. Those are not the only moods. People with bipolar disorder often have moods that exist between the extremes.

Myth and Fact 3

• Myth: Being in a manic state means that the person with bipolar feels happy.
  Fact: Not always. Sometimes the manic state causes a person to react with such uncontrollable urges that it comes across as being happy, excited and full of energy. The urges might be to gamble, spend money he might not have, do drugs, have sex or engage in any other addictive behavior he struggles with. There is no control over actions, reactions or thoughts. There might be little or no ability to sleep during a manic phase, resulting in the person having even less control over himself.

Myth and Fact 4

• Myth: The only things you can do to control bipolar disorder are take medicine and get therapy.
  Fact: Those things are important, but there are other things the person with bipolar disorder can do to help herself.
  1. Eat a healthful diet. Make regular meal times and stick to them.
  2. Exercise. It has been observed that people who exercise regularly are better able to control their emotional and mental responses.
  3. Learn to recognize what triggers a mood swing.

Myth and Fact 5

• Myth: Children don't suffer from bipolar disorder.
  Fact: Even though the testing and diagnosis for children is not as easy as it is for adults, there are children who have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and have gotten control of it early in life. There are also adults who have been diagnosed and say they have been having symptoms since they were children.