why some people freak when they hear you're bipolar or have an metal illness??

I have OCD with my bipolar. I didn't reveal to anyone but mylot that I was what they call "nuts". My step-mom doesn't want to be "related" to a nut job, so she makes fun of me all the time. I was just telling my boyfriend that I haven't been on meds for a while and that I need to be on them. People just don't realize what it is and why it does what it does to us. My dad said that people are afraid of what they can't see. Well, duh, so am I but I deal with it and that doesn't give me an exvuse that it is okay to treat me like I am a mass murderer. I didn't ask to be this way, and I have never hurt you or anyone else for that matter. I wouldn't freak out on you, but when you have a manic episode, call me. We'd have a blast.

I think that the people who react in that manner are just really stupid people. They didn't get an education on it, and definitely don't know how to handle it when a person does go a bit loopy. If someone told me that they had bipolar, I'd just say "Join the Club." Honestly it doesn't freak me out, I'd be happy they told me so I'd know when they got a bit touchy and I'd also know how to cheer them up a bit. Just ignore those people who act like your evil.

I would be the type to ask questions. People are afraid of things they know nothing about.I have known a few people with this disorder and have seen the struggles the endure with others.i feel for them as they are no different than anyone else.

It's possible they've had a bad experience with someone who had a mental illness in the past. The ones who get freaked out, anyway. The ones who don't believe it exists probably haven't ever known somebody with a mental illness, or knows somebody who was wrongly diagnosed (I know a lot of people who were diagnosed with bipolar and probably weren't).

I think because they don't fully grasp what a mental illness is. Alot of people think that it means you're crazy, or you'd go off on them any second. I know what you mean though. My mom has a mental illness. I forget exactly what it's called, but it is hiereditary(don't think i spelled that right, at least I tried :). But everyone in my family freaked out, thinking things exactly like that. I just think we need to get more information out there. Right now if you told someone you had a mental illness, they'd treat you like you had the plague.

I have a question. How does it feel to have this kind of illness? How did it start? Can't you control it if u think it's all in your head? All people gets mad at a certain point, and get depressed too, but how did u know you are different or sick?

I think it is just a lack of knowledge on the subject My father and brother are bipolar so I lived with it. No, you will not kill anyone -it is a chemical imbalance - I am surprised you don't take meds though.

syankee hi its so sad that people have to react like that'when they hear bi polar or mental illness. I have known a number of people with biploar and they are fine as long as they take 'their meds.I guess we need to get more information on bipolar out to the public to cure this silliness. A person who is bipolar should not expect to be treated any differently than a person who'is diabetic.We dont go off in shrieks when someone says I am a diabetc. so we need more information to give to the public to help all people to not go through that crap.

ive heard all of above.. and i just love how i would get irritated and be dramatic in my response it was funny to everyone (and was meant to be somewhat) but after people found out i was bipolar they thought i was gonna go on a shooting spree or something!! i too am not shy in saying i have it.. people cant understand what they dont know about (and well i have a lot of medical problems so its just another one on the list when i let people know because they may wonder when i say im sickly etc) but some people have said to me also that they were waiting to see the bipolar side of me or the psycho side of me.. im like uhh im medicated and nothing like how i was before hand.. i wasnt bad before hand anyways!! my mom like doesnt do certain things and i find out later she was worried i wouldnt approve.. im like uhhh it DOESNT MATTER!! im not gonna go psycho when things dont go my way but no one thinks that.. they just see the movies and think thats it.. and if i do go psycho it will be on one of those "its all in your head" or "god will cure you if you pray (for bipolar and everything else healthwise)" people that have never been sad or had a hard day in their lives!! grr!!

I dont get freak out when someone tells me that he/she has bipolar but when a person tells me he/she is mentally ill i freak out for obvious reason. I dont know what a mentally ill person is thinking every now and then. They can be violent at some point so i dont wanna be around them. At least with bipolar people youll notice a change of mood since they usually get so happy at one point then suddenly became emotional. But honestly when my younger sibling experience problem too thats the time i started to understand it more. I feel bad and wanted to help him out. Nobody wanted to have that kind of illness. It is something that nobody wishes to have. Everytime i think about my brother i get emotional since i know he would want to have a better life if only he had a choice.

People that are uneducated on the many aspects of mental illness generally have the tendency to freak out at the mention of any mental disorder. It's the people that have an illness, don't realize that they do and therefore do not seek treatment--now they freak me a bit. I can usually spot such individuals fairly quickly. I deal with mental illness on a daily basis in my own home. By husband has PTSD and our daughter is bipolor along with a couple other anxiety disorders. (It's not uncommon for children to acquire disorders if one of the parents is inflicted.) So to answer your question, syankee, i do ask questions out of curiosity as to learn as much as possible about various disorders.

I have a good friend who is bipolar.She is really no different then anyone else except that she has highs and lows.She is on medication for years and gets along fine but there have been many times when her medication has to be changed or adjusted because they are no longer working properly.

I can understand where you are comming from. My husband suffers from mental illness and has had the same things happen to him. Although I have to say there was one person who took the cake. Her and her husband were close friends of ours when we found out he had this illness. We even got married out on her acreage and she was my maid of honor and her husband was our best man. After we all found out that my husband had problems she turned to him and told him not to kill himself on her property cause she did not want to do the paperwork. Boy what a good friend she was.

I also have bipolar disorder and have been asked some very rude and ignorant questions. One person has asked me if I ever freaked out. What is that even supposed to mean. I find that people are very misinformed and ignorant as to what the condition even is. I may be moody and have my bad days. I may even have some peculiar habits but I am not a nutcase that flys off the handle. In fact I have been off of my meds for almost a year now and feel better and more in control of my emotions than I have in years. The problem with Bipolar is the media attention has almost all been negative. Especially with Brittany Spears meltdown and being diagnosed. Because she had a problem we all get labeled. The fact is Brittany Spears was going through a very tough time in her life that someone without the disorder would probably not be able to cope with any better. Bipolar is different for every individual. Some people with bipolar may do things that are crazy and go off the deep end. Then again there are plenty of people who have done horrendous and crazy things that are not bipolar.