People keep asking this idiotic question: What are the positives of having bipolar disorder? Seriously? One thing of which I am certain, no one with bipolar d/o would ask this question, I know this as surely as I sit here typing! How about asking a cancer patient who has been given a few months to live, and is puking their guts out from chemotherapy, how about asking them the positives of having cancer? Really? Bipolar d/o is an awful, very often terminal disease that takes over your life and tortures you! What exactly is positive about this? If people who have bipolar d/o are creative, they would still be so without this hellish illness. If people with bipolar d/o are empathetic, they would still be so without this awful illness. This is an illness, there is NOTHING positive about having it! For International Bipolar Foundation to ask this tired and insulting and patronizing question really gets my goat! http://www.ibpf.org/article/5-positives-living-bipolar-disorder-besides-creativity
What are they saying? Since this is a mental illness, we don’t need to take it seriously, so lets ask people what the positives are about having it? Really? What’s positive about staying in bed for days on end, crying and contemplating suicide? I mean organizations like International Bipolar Foundation are there to support and promote understanding of people with BPD, not ask idiotic, patronizing, dismissive questions like what are the positives of having an awful illness that can make you kill yourself. Just stop with this idiotic question, please just stop!
My answer on their post on FB: “There are NO positives of having this hellish disease! None. Such an idiotic question, would you ever ask a cancer patient what the positives of having cancer are? This is a deadly disease no one needs. If people are creative. it isn’t because of bipolar disorder, they’d be creative even this illness hadn’t claimed their lives. Please stop trying to put a positive spin on this ugly illness. I expect more from an organization who calls themselves “International Bipolar Foundation” :-(“
Bipolar1Blog 
Jesusfuck those are some weak ass reasons too. They should change perception and say here’s a list of things that might possibly help you feel a tiny bit less hellish. My list would be short and it’s this: tribe. I’d rather none of us had bipolar, but since we do, at least our group of mates here on wp has solidarity.
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Agree with you so much Blah and do glad you’re in my tribe!
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I totally agree with you, Samina Let the unicorn rainbow fart folk believe what they will. I firmly believe that ANYONE who truly loves someone with bipolar disorder would admit there is no way in hell it’s a blessing to him/her…..they may say that as lip service to the beloved, but I would bet serious $ that the truth would differ. While I recognize there’s a link between bipolar and creativity, I honestly don’t give a shit. Sanity is better than crazyassness – I say this as a daughter of a brilliant violinist with bipolar – his illness fucked with our family so bad and caused so much shit that I cannot write about in my book, but suffice to say that bipolar is destructive and whoo gives a shit about a pretty painting/poem/ symphony when it comes to being sane. How can you even compare the two states? I can’t & I’m sure that those who loved Van Gogh, Woolf, Shumann, etc. etc. would agree with me. Most of them would. For some reason, I can’t see what I’m typing here so please forgive the typos and as far as the potty words, sorry!
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Absolutely agree with you Dyane! I think that if all those creative people didn’t have bipolar d/o, they would still have been creative but could have created in peace. I can’t stand seeing that stupid question. Love and hugs for you!
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It is SO SO SO SO SO nice to read your viewpoint. I know there are plenty of people who disagree….but I *think* they decide that their bipolar disorder is good when they aren’t in the depths of despair….just sayin’ !
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I think people confuse their positive traits with the illness. The illness is evil. The positive traits are positive not because we have the illness but in spite of the fact we have the illness. Is the positive of having breast cancer having big breasts? NO! Big breasts may be s positive but there is no positive to having breast cancer.
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Xxxxoooooo
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I’ve read about the positives of having bipolar for so many years that it hadn’t even been phasing me when I read about it. But I must say that my experiences with my bipolar have been 50 years of misery (depression for me started before kindergarten) punctuated by periods of remission. I am intelligent and creative, but as you say, I likely would have been without the bipolar (and OCD and GAD, and ADHD, all miserable in their own right). Perhaps the link between bipolar and those good things is that people with these traits are maybe more prone to bipolar and other mental illnesses not the other way around. Hence no positive.
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Absolutely agree! And like I said, why only look for positives in mental illnesses, why not ask what is positive about having terminal cancer, or awful eczema, or leg amputation? I am just so sick of this sugar coated, oh bipolar us such fun attitude!
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