Bi polar disorder? Kerry Katona and now Britney Spears. Is it being understood now or just becomming trendy?

Question

I am a Bi polar suffer myself and admit that parenting can be a struggle, especially on your own. Having recently separated from my husband I panic about the prospect of raising my children on my own.
More and more 'celebrities' are comming out as sufferers, but also being shown in a negative light with regards to their parenting. It appears money cannot buy stability, so what about those folk who are your average joe?
I consider myself to be a pretty reasonable parent, but also recognise how vunerable both myself and children can become if I become unwell and find the critisism particularly hard to take.
I can only speak for myself when I relate it to my rocky childhood and the onset of post natal depression.
How can we become more tolerant or understanding?
Anyone with similar experiences or good advice would be greatly recieved
Cheers

I have prev in mental health too, I trained as an RMN and worked for 4 years before becomming ill and finding the experience to close for comfort, I then converted to Gen nursing

nimrod - a thoroughly excellent answer, Stephen Fry has done alot of good for this disorder

Answer 1

Hi Gobilina
my girlfriend is bi polar, she was diagnosed as a child, and has it under control for the most part, and I don't know a better parent than her. I think celebrities are guilty of jumping on bandwagons, recently it was buy a coloured baby, before that it was 'I have an eating disorder' and the one before that was 'self harming' and I don't think they help genuine people like yourself because people watch their destructive behaviour and immediately make their minds up that everyone with bi-polar must be 'the same'
Look at the national treasure, Stephen Fry, he recently documented his bi polar and I think did a lot of good because there is a very educated man with a sparkling career who was able to put forward what exactly it is, how it affects him and those around him, how it can be treated and how it's only a fraction of who he is.
When I talk about my girlfriend to people I don't say 'oh she's bi polar' because while she lives with it, it's a very tiny part of the whole person, she's also a wonderful parent, a very sincere friend, a caring and lovable partner, holds down a responsible job and works voluntarily some weekends helping teenagers with rehabilitation.
You probably don't see it, but I imagine having the courage to raise children alone is the toughest thing you do, and if you can do that you can easily knock the bi polar into a manageable size.
I know maybe a handful of depressives, and three or four who have bi-polar and I spend a lot of happy hours socialising as well as working with them, if anything the fact they deal with this debilitating illness has afforded them qualities others don't have, I find they are patient, tolerant, empathic people who just happen to sometimes have bi-polar episodes, the same way I get hay fever.
I wish you and your children the very best, I think you'll be fine

Answer 2

My son suffers from a brain disorder amongst many other disorders ....

He was assessed for bio polar and this has been discounted .. I am waiting for a second opion ...

There needs to be a wider understanding of mental health issues as i come across negative attitudes when dealing with authorities with my son ...

I was once told my son was the worst this certain professional had seen in his 20 year career .. not very helpful

Not many people know about bio polar and know how devastating it can be .. i am glad it is being reported in the public eye .. however i would not wish it on anyone

I also believe mental health is quite a taboo subject in our country maybe with more media reports people will see how important it is to accept and understand

Answer 3

I think that a lot of these celebrities just jump on this like they do a new diet. Im saying that they have too much money and drugs than they know what to do with, boredom ecte ct. They should spend some time volunteering and seeing what people really go through. Good post and hope all goes well for the future. Remember that there is always someone out there that you can talk to.

Answer 4

isnt it amazing change the name and change the attitude

bet if it was still known as MD then they wouldnt be so quick to jump 'off the wagon' and onto the bandwagon banging the drum as an excuse

BP brought on by substance abuse!!!!!! no where near comparible to those 'sufferring' through no fault of their own

how can we be more understanding?
education education education, educate the population and drive the fear through ignorance out
lets highlight the good things that people with mental health issues do, rather than lumping all mental health patients together as possibly a care in the community attack waiting to happen

Answer 5

I sympathise with you & your problems but can't help feeling that celebrities are using this as an excuse for their shortcomings. They all seem to be jumping on ther bandwagon & the result is that genuine sufferers like yourself end up with a bad name. Why they can't just admit that they are all too full of thinking about themselves & how many appearances they have made on TV or in the papers that week to take proper care of their kids & then need a handy, plausible excuse?

Answer 6

I agree with Mrs Phas, now manic depression is known as bi-polar it has lost most of its stigma surrounding it.
Many mental health illnesses as I am sure you are aware, are swept under the carpet, they are hidden diseases with no obvious physical symptoms.
A lot of people are scared of it, they dont know how to react to a sufferer. They say things like 'pull yourself together' and 'snap out of it'. No use at all when you feel like you are dying inside.
So if celebrities are claiming to have bi-polar and it raises awareness then really, that can only be a good thing.

Look after yourself xx

Answer 7

Celebs cannot deal with the issues life throws at them, they need constant reassurance, publicity and for want of a better word 'buttering up'....Kerry Katona is a drug addict - end of, so is Britney Spears, if your benchmark to success is money then yes they have been successful but unfortunately having too much too young and not being able to handle it is a recipe for self destruction. Remember these people pack their kids off to boarding schools and have nannies to do all the real hard work. It just proves you are the stronger person.

Answer 8

I dont think for a minute Kerry Katona suffers from anything other than some sort of need to be in the lime light. She practically rings up the magazines every time she farts!

As for her mood swings that she feels,I think this is due to a heavy drug intake and not a physcological struggle

Answer 9

Unfortunately I think its becoming fashionable, which saddens me immensely.

Its important that Bipolar becomes better understood, but celebrities using it a an excuse for erratic parenting and irresponsible behaviour is damaging the real sufferers.

Best of Luck.

Answer 10

I understand what you are saying but as a sufferer yourself do you think anyone who does not have this condition could even consider pretending they have it. No I think that they are both suffering from some sort of anxiety condition as to whether it is self induced who can tell.

I just hope they are both strong enough and sensible enough to realise the possible damage they are doing to themselves by all this pretence.

A sufferer of MD.