Bipolar Disorder Shortens Another Life #bipolardisorder
December 6, 2012 2 Comments
Bipolar trainer – could this be the world’s most dangerous profession?
Tomorrow I am going to another friend’s funeral. The weather forecast is not great 4’C with light rain. I have shed a few tears today and no doubt will shed a few more tomorrow.
Various reports suggest that being labelled with a mental illness will shorten our lives by 15 to 20 years. In Andrew’s case it would seem to have been a lot more than 20 years. Is speaking out against the mental illness system also a factor in shortening our lives?
About Roger Smith (in the UK)
Roger Smith (in the UK)
Rethinking Bipolar 
I’m so sorry to hear about your friend.
In regards to your question or statement about a shortened life span due to this illness I think it could very well be validated. In my experience both as a psych patient and in working with those with mental illness it is very easy to begin to fear yourself when diagnosed as bipolar. We are taught not to trust our emotions and to regulate them with medications that ultimately cause life-threatening problems.
Personally my saving grace was working through therapy and getting off meds, beginning to believe in myself again and not gauge my abilities by what my doctors were saying.
Being told that you are sick and will be for the rest of your life felt like a death sentence to me. Those very words made me almost give up almost 5 years ago… all of the hopes of having a family and prosperous future felt like they were ripped from me.
In this last year I’ve taken my life back, and chosen to believe those who believe that full recovery is very possible.
In my opinion people with this illness need to be given more hope than what is offered upon diagnosis.
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The premise that Bipolar”s lives are shortened is a myth and there is no substance in it.The only impairment is stress is too much for these people and if it can be removed by leading a simple and carefree lives with medication then one can defnitely live to its maximum.
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