A quick intro.
My name is Katie McKay.
I am married and a mother of 3 young boys.
I enjoy reading, writing, photography and shoes.
Oh yes, I'm also bipolar.
Now, there are a number of problems for someone with bipolar disorder. And this is before we get to the actual bipolar itself.
- Lots of people have heard of it thanks to celebrities like Kerry Katona and Eastenders storylines. Unfortunately, this makes everyone think that because they've read about it or watched it on 'denders, that they are experts.
- There are quite a few people that think bipolar is 'fashionable'. Ever since celebs started openly admitting they suffer from bipolar, quite a few people seem to want to have it. This means that people will always doubt whether you actually have it, or if you're just joining the trend.
- People start to make excuses for you. When I told my best friend I had bipolar, I though she would still treat me the same. However, every time I said something she didn't like, instead of our usual 'banter' I would get comments like, 'well, that's the bipolar talking' or 'ooo is it a bad bipolar day'? People start to treat you as though you are going to break, or going to break them.
- And the biggie. As with many 'silent ilnesses' such as deression, fibromyalgia and more, if people can't see any physical symptoms they assume everything is fine. Whether it's ignorance, or a disbelief that anything is wrong, I don't know. But it can make you feel so incredibly lonely, misunderstood and lost.