World Bipolar Day is an opportunity to move beyond surface-level awareness and toward something more meaningful: understanding, compassion, and real support. People living with bipolar disorder deserve to be met with accurate information, less stigma, and communities that know how to show up with care. Awareness matters, but support is what helps people feel seen, respected, and less alone.
Let’s talk about the ugly side of bipolar disorder. The parts people don’t like to hear or are too embarrassed to speak about.
It’s losing trust in your own mind. Constantly questioning whether your thoughts, emotions, or decisions are you or an episode forming. The manic highs and the depressive lows. It’s the shame after episodes. The apologies. The mistakes. The decisions that were made that don’t truly align with who you are as a person. The relationships strained or lost. Not from lack of love, but from a brain at war with itself. It’s isolation. Pulling away because you’re afraid of being a burden, while quietly needing connection the most.
It’s surviving moments you didn’t want to be here anymore and then having to learn how to live after that. Medication trials. Side effects. Acceptance. Resistance. Learning that stability isn’t weakness and needing help doesn’t erase strength. Even on good days, bipolar disorder leaves scars, hypervigilance, grief, and a level of self-awareness earned through pain.
I advocate because honesty saves lives. Because romanticizing this illness helps no one. Because survival is something to speak about, not hide. This is the ugly but necessary truth.
And I’m still here. Still growing. Still choosing to live. Walking right with you. Because, we are Stronger Together. 🤍
In mental solidarity,
Taking Meds Isn’t Weak—Shaming Is.
My Zoloft (Sertraline) helps me stay balanced with Bipolar Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and panic/anxiety. Mental health medication isn’t something to be ashamed of, it’s healthcare. It’s self-care. If meds help you live, function, and breathe easier, that’s strength.
Medication is part of how I survive and thrive. I’m not ashamed of that. It’s okay to need medication to support your mental health. You’re still strong. It’s incredibly courageous facing your mental health.
I’m right here with you.
P.S. ✨️ Oh, next time anyone thinks about pill shaming someone, don’t. ✨️
A disorder associated with episodes of mood swings ranging from depressive lows to manic highs.
“I’m not weird, just limited edition.” I told myself after being diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder in 2016. Although I seemed confident in this moment, I wasn’t. I had mastered the art of faking it.
In reality, this was actually a plea of distress to the world: “Please be gentle with me, I’m not at my best and not fully here. I never will be.”
Fast forward to present day 2024. I am now able to live a full, stable, and rewarding life.
My treatment plan:
✨️ Medication: 100 mg of Zoloft (Sertraline) antidepressant and mood stabilizer
✨️ Medication: 50 mg of Seroquel (Quetiapine) antipsychotic and sleeping aid
✨️ bi-weekly Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
✨️ bi-weekly group talk therapy
I’ve partnered with HELPGUIDE.ORG and Verywell Health to assist with recommendations on coping with Bipolar Disorder. We recommend working with your psychiatrist to find the best treatment plan to help manage your Bipolar Disorder.
I know you may be afraid or even in denial. I’m here to assure you that there is hope and that hope will indeed lead you to the light. You just have to walk towards it.
I love you and am rooting for you every step!
