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Don't Fear Me
I'm bipolar. Your reaction to that will be largely based on what you know or, God help me, think you know, about bipolar disorder.
Some of you may be thinking "But Mike, you seem so normal." I am normal. I just live with a mental illness.
Some of you may be thinking "What are you doing with normal people? Get out of here and leave us alone." I've gotten that reaction before.
Some may be thinking "You poor guy. You're so courageous." I've gotten that before too. I'm not courageous. I just live each day the best way I can, the same as you.
And some will simply accept this as a fact. Thank you. That's all I ask.
"Mental illness" isn't a scary phrase. Neither is "psychotic" as used by the mental health field. Do you know what psychotic really means? It doesn't mean that at any moment I'm going to grab an axe and chop you into little pieces. It means my brain doesn't work the way it's supposed to. Well duh. If it did I wouldn't be bipolar. (laughs)
What is bipolar disorder? It's when you experience periods of depression and periods of mania. Crazy Steve may call himself manic because he's practically giving the store away. But mania is just the opposite of depression. Instead of a very low low it's a very high high.
When I'm manic I tend to take risks I otherwise wouldn't. Primarily I spend money like a Rockefeller inherited a Kennedy's estate. But sometimes I'm up all or most of the night, like tonight I'm afraid.When it gets really bad sometimes I count the seconds going by on the clock.
I'm your typical bipolar person. I was born, I breathe as many times a day as I can, and one day I'll die. Beyond that and what I've already talked about bipolar people come in all different types and descriptions.
I write short stories, poems, and songs for fun. I have a great singing voice and I'm an accomplished singer. I'm a genius or a near genius (supposedly a 145 IQ give or take 2 or 3 points). I have a great sense of humor and I love to make people laugh. I have a big heart which I use to make the special people in my life very happy.
If I didn't tell you I'm bipolar you'd never guess it. And yet I'm on disability because I can't work. If I hold a full time job for more than 2 months, 3 tops, the stress puts me in a bad place mentally.
The people who wish I would just go away and leave the normal people alone? Most of them get their information from movies and TV shows. Which is like learning about the possibility of extraterrestrial life by watching Independence Day.
"Hate destroys that which frightens ignorance" indeed. That's one of mine by the way. But that's what I put up with from some people.
So don't fear me, don't pity me, don't think of me as not normal. Just treat me like any other person you know. I could become one of your best online friends.
© Mike Gurak
Some of you may be thinking "But Mike, you seem so normal." I am normal. I just live with a mental illness.
Some of you may be thinking "What are you doing with normal people? Get out of here and leave us alone." I've gotten that reaction before.
Some may be thinking "You poor guy. You're so courageous." I've gotten that before too. I'm not courageous. I just live each day the best way I can, the same as you.
And some will simply accept this as a fact. Thank you. That's all I ask.
"Mental illness" isn't a scary phrase. Neither is "psychotic" as used by the mental health field. Do you know what psychotic really means? It doesn't mean that at any moment I'm going to grab an axe and chop you into little pieces. It means my brain doesn't work the way it's supposed to. Well duh. If it did I wouldn't be bipolar. (laughs)
What is bipolar disorder? It's when you experience periods of depression and periods of mania. Crazy Steve may call himself manic because he's practically giving the store away. But mania is just the opposite of depression. Instead of a very low low it's a very high high.
When I'm manic I tend to take risks I otherwise wouldn't. Primarily I spend money like a Rockefeller inherited a Kennedy's estate. But sometimes I'm up all or most of the night, like tonight I'm afraid.When it gets really bad sometimes I count the seconds going by on the clock.
I'm your typical bipolar person. I was born, I breathe as many times a day as I can, and one day I'll die. Beyond that and what I've already talked about bipolar people come in all different types and descriptions.
I write short stories, poems, and songs for fun. I have a great singing voice and I'm an accomplished singer. I'm a genius or a near genius (supposedly a 145 IQ give or take 2 or 3 points). I have a great sense of humor and I love to make people laugh. I have a big heart which I use to make the special people in my life very happy.
If I didn't tell you I'm bipolar you'd never guess it. And yet I'm on disability because I can't work. If I hold a full time job for more than 2 months, 3 tops, the stress puts me in a bad place mentally.
The people who wish I would just go away and leave the normal people alone? Most of them get their information from movies and TV shows. Which is like learning about the possibility of extraterrestrial life by watching Independence Day.
"Hate destroys that which frightens ignorance" indeed. That's one of mine by the way. But that's what I put up with from some people.
So don't fear me, don't pity me, don't think of me as not normal. Just treat me like any other person you know. I could become one of your best online friends.
© Mike Gurak
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