Bipolar Disorder In My Community Essay

Bipolar Disorder in my Community By Webster’s dictionary, the meaning of stigma means ‘to dishonor or to disgrace.’ When that terms dishonor and disgrace come to mind, negative thoughts follow suit. Is having a bipolar disorder a stigma in our society, let alone our community? It’s not a topic many want to discuss in fear of offending someone or bringing tension to the table. As a daughter who has dealt with a family member who has a bipolar disorder, I know exactly how that may feel. In the society that is lived in today, it’s difficult to talk about mental illness without being told you’re overreacting or without someone else bringing their own problems into the mix. In my community, it is no different. People don’t necessarily believe that a bipolar disorder is a …show more content…
The definition of disgrace means ‘to lose the reputation or respect due to a dishonorable action’ according to Webster’s dictionary. As a person who has experienced the loving side of her mother who loved to play games on Sunday nights to the mother who woke up screaming and cursing over a few dirty dishes the next morning, I on several occasions believed she was a disgrace. Instead of continuing to blame her, I educated myself. I educated myself by looking up the symptoms she had and realizing she had a bipolar disorder. A disorder she could not help without the proper treatment and the acceptance of her love ones. If my mother would have told our community about her disorder I don’t believe they would have understood her because they haven’t experienced the disorder she has nor have they uneducated themselves on the subject. They are not uneducated as a whole, but simply wouldn’t be able to accept what she was going through and instead would judge her for her circumstances. That scenario right there leads to further problems: the constant fearing of judging overweighing the need for