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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think it suddenly seems 'the in-thing' to suffer with bi-polar?

439 replies

Champersonice · 14/04/2011 10:21

This is really getting to me. Perhaps these 'celebs' really are suffering with bi-polar but I remember the days when it was the biggest taboo. My mother suffers with this illness and it is just awful.

There have been so many and whilst I really believe some I really do not believe Kerry Katona and now Catherine Zeta-Jones. Apparantely, CZJ booked herself into a psychiatric hospital for becoming manic-depressive following her husband's cancer, and now, according to her publicist is "feeling great and looking forward to starting work this week on two upcoming films". Perhaps Ms Zeta-Jones should visit a real psychiatric hopsital (not a detox clinic) and see real life patients suffering with this terrible, terrible illness.

AIBU?

OP posts:
Original poster
Champersonice · 14/04/2011 22:13

Thanks hairy but I am not so sure your figures add up. I don't personally know the celebs in question so, therefore, don't know how long their diagnosis was. What I do know, is that it didn't take ten years for my mum to be diagnosed. It took a long time to get the correct medication, however. Although, we are back to square one as she now can't take the medication that did work, and the others aren't working Sad

OP posts:
hairylights · 14/04/2011 22:18

What is the case for your mum is not going to be the case for everyone.

I don't know what type of bipolar your mum has, but it is a spectrum, not a simple set of symptoms.

Bipolar I and II, rapid cycling, bipolar with psychosis, hypomania.

It also took my ex a long time to get appropriate medication.

Has the medical profession looked at different doses?

Original poster
Champersonice · 14/04/2011 22:24

Been there, done it. Complete nightmare. Different meds, different doses. Everything. It is such a shame because she managed it so well for so so so many years.

OP posts:
hairylights · 14/04/2011 22:28

I do feel for you :( it's a horrible, horrible illness, for those who suffer from it and those that love them.

It's a big part of the reason my ex is my ex.

buttonmooncup · 14/04/2011 22:38

ilovemyhens please tell me your not a mh nurse!
Champersonice I still don't know what you mean by people 'jumping on the bandwagon'. Do you think people are pretending to be bipolar? If so - who?

Original poster
Champersonice · 14/04/2011 22:39

Thanks and I understand your situation. My mum will always be my mum whatever happens and I love her unconditionally. Have seen her manic behaviour in extremes and been on the receiving end. But I am her daughter and I know when she is like that, it isn't really her. I say there are three of her; normal (as normal can be!) mum, high mum and low mum. With a partner I imagine it is quite different.

OP posts:
Original poster
Champersonice · 14/04/2011 22:40

Oh give it a rest button.

OP posts:
buttonmooncup · 14/04/2011 22:45

I tell you what when you provide some evidence that people are fabricating mental health conditions I'll give it a rest. What you've posted is seriously offensive even after you've supposedly articulated it better Hmm

Serenitysutton · 14/04/2011 22:51

Bi polar has not been recognised as an illness for very long - it was only identified about 10 years ago. Before that people you now know as bi polar would've been treated as anorexics/ sex addicts/ schizoPhrenics etc and often suffered further from the inadequete diagnosis and medication / treatment. That's why it seems so many people are "suddenly" bi polar- they couldve been Diagnosed as something else before that.

However, I have to say I find it extremely unlikely that czj received any kind of treatment which would've helped her to recover in just 5 days. Silver hill is supposed to be an excellent hospital though- Elizabeth wurtzel described her stay there in her memoir - she was in for 4 months, but that was just the beginning.

scottishmummy · 14/04/2011 23:03

that is absolute unsubstantiated nonsense,serenity.i dont know what motivates you to write such rot

Original poster
Champersonice · 14/04/2011 23:04

Serenity, that is so not true!! My mum was diagnosed nearly forty years ago.

Button, button it.

OP posts:
thefirstMrsDeVere · 14/04/2011 23:06

Wasnt it called manic depression?

That has been around for ever surely?

thefirstMrsDeVere · 14/04/2011 23:07

Isnt 'sex addiction' a far, far newer dx than bipolar?

V. confused.

scottishmummy · 14/04/2011 23:09

bipolar is one of the earliest recorded mental illnesses,ancient greece onwards
In 1913, Emil Krapelin established the term "manic-depressive"
bipolar or as it was manic depression has been studied and noted extensively

buttonmooncup · 14/04/2011 23:09

I'm not just going to allow your inflammatory crap to go unchallenged Champers. It's attitudes like yours that contribute to the stigma around mh and some peoples belief that mh conditions aren't real like physical health problems and people are just making it up. And as the daughter of a bipolar sufferer you should be fucking ashamed of yourself!

Original poster
Champersonice · 14/04/2011 23:12

Yes, MrsDeVere, it was called manic depression. I wrote an article on the subject for a mental health magazine a couple of years ago.

If I remember correctly, I think you irked me earlier Scottish but I am starting to like you Smile

OP posts:
Original poster
Champersonice · 14/04/2011 23:14

Oooh Button, nice to see you taking the 'Talk Guidelines' to the letter.

OP posts:
missslc · 14/04/2011 23:15

Okay so many people with bi polar have episodes which are indeed brought on by a period of stress often.

If thinking your husband is going to die is not stressful,I am nit sure what is.

Poor woman. I hope her week of care has helped her manage this episode and good on her for being so open to try to somehow reduce the taboo which will always be there around mental illness because a minority of people suffer with it and we just do not understand it and it scares us.

Also alcoholism and drug addiction are often caused by illness too so I am not sure this would be a great cover up.People judge all of them surely.

BabyDubsEverywhere · 14/04/2011 23:15

My Gdad was diagnosed with MD, he died 30 years ago in his 60's, was diagnosed in early twenties - definatly not a new thing.

thefirstMrsDeVere · 14/04/2011 23:17

I didnt read the OP as saying people generally make up being bipolar.

Isnt it more about people (slebs) using whatever means to gain publicity?

People DO do that stuff. They shouldnt but they do.

There has been quite a spate of teenagers in my area dxing themselves with bipolar due to recent soap storylines. Whenever a condition gets a lot of coverage it has negative as well as positive results. The positives being better understanding, loss of stigma. The negatives being self dxing and attention seeking from publicity hungry wannabes.

Personally I dont think CZJ falls into this catagory but nothing would suprise me about some of the more desperate members of our sleb community.

scottishmummy · 14/04/2011 23:17

sex addiction is not a recognise diagnosis,not in ICD 10 or DSM iV there is discussion whether or not to include but this is contentious.

JenaiMarrHePlaysGuitar · 14/04/2011 23:20

How much more can you miss the fucking point, button?

Longstocking2 · 14/04/2011 23:21

haven't read thread but slebs often cry mental disorder when it's substance/alcohol/prescription drug dependency as it may carry a different kind of censure, it ain't my fault it's my bipolar illness.

Not saying that all these dependencies are illnesses, it's just Hollywood tends to spin everything it can spin.

scottishmummy · 14/04/2011 23:22

yes it shows you've not read thread. jog on
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