About

Updated April 2013

We started this site to play a part in eliminating the bipolar diagnosis. This continues to be our goal. For now though, battling against the drug companies is too much for us. We need first to focus on explaining what bipolar is and what it is not.

A new definition is needed based on people’s experiences and the research since the term was first coined in 1980. We will help you look at bipolar from various perspectives and see what it really means to people. We want to help change attitudes-toward and the treatment-of, those who struggle with emotional distress. Our main goal remains to help people think differently about bipolar disorder, hence ‘Rethinking Bipolar’.

We have trained professionals (doctors, nurses, social workers and so on) about mood and the facts about bipolar diagnosis for many years. This has helped with working out what we may realistically be able to do to help people wanting to avoid the mental illness system.

We need health professionals and visitors to this site to appreciate is that bipolar disorder is not the illness described in even the most recent text-books. Neither is it the same as manic depression. Bipolar is simply a label given to people who are reacting in extreme ways to extreme stress. Bipolar is not a distinct disorder. It described by symptoms we all experience to some extent. If it exists at all then it is something we all have in us. Most of the symptoms are simply common reactions to stress. Labeling millions as bipolar is not healthy as it goes with ideas of permanent disability and drugs for life. It does not have to be this way.

Early ideas for this site

Rethinking Bipolar to eliminate the bipolar diagnosis (our original ’About’ page)

If you have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder you may well have been told you will always be ill, need medication and not be able work again.

We know it does not have to be this way. It is true that the majority who are diagnosed will take the drugs they are offered, which may or may not give some relief.

We know that:

> those who stay on the drugs become dependent on them

> all the drugs on offer have some or many unpleasant effects

> those who are unable to come off the drugs mostly become more unwell and die early

We also know that many people are able to get help with gradually reducing psychiatric drug doses and thousands who were once diagnosed with bipolar have lived well for decades without any need for psychiatric drugs.

Unfortunately the stigma associated with this diagnosis remains.

This site is for:

• health professionals to be up-to-date with full recovery / ideas ofeliminating diagnosis and who is working on this
• anyone interested in taking on the bipolar industry and reversing the trend toward diagnosing all very-emotional-people as bipolar
• the friends and relatives of the very emotional people at risk of diagnosis – as diagnosis can be avoided if causes and triggers can be successfully tackled
• emotional people wanting to understand and avoid getting a mood disorder diagnosis/psychiatric drugs
• those in recovery/recovered and want to know, “What next?” / “Will I always have this label?” / “What are my options?”

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Original idea for rethinkingbipolar.com…

This site was to be called, ‘Eliminating Bipolar Diagnosis‘.

It is now clear our first step is to help people with Rethinking Bipolar and this is what we aim to do.