Tracy was writing about being bipolar. This was how she ended her post:
Oh yes just before you judge me or drop me like a hot potato because I am manic, just remember, BiPolar is a chemical unbalance/disorder the same as someone who has diabetes has a disorder of "basically" the pancreas produces too much insulin, which when monitored can be controlled, BiPolar is the same, so think about it, would you stop being someones friend because they had diabetes ?
That Grrl's comment:
I'd stop being friends with someone based on what they do, not on who they are. My brother's ex girlfriend broke into my Mother's house and tried to kill my brother's new girl friend. Her excuse was that she didn't like taking her medication. The scary thing is that she could have gotten away with killing another person that way. It has happened before. If you find people a little concerned about befriending someone on medication it isn't a personal thing about yourself, it's knowing there is a real danger in some cases.I think we are a little nervous around anyone we have just met. If you also know the person is epileptic, bipolar, etc you might feel a bit more nervous as it is something you don't know about, you don't know if they are taking medication, if you will need to hold their tongue while they have a fit to prevent them choking on it. (Did you know you have to do that if someone has an epileptic seizure?)
After my experience I'd be a little worried about someone who should be on medication who decides not to. Just as a friend I had in high school who was epileptic. She could have had a fit at any time. I knew her for years. She taught me what to do should she need me to help her. I was glad I never had to but I was glad to know what to do.
I come to visit you almost every day. I'd meet you for coffee and we could chat up a storm. I trust everyone until they give me a reason not to. But, not everyone is that way. As much as you want to be understood you need to try to understand other people too.
Hope you don't take this as being critical of you. I don't mean it that way at all. I didn't post to upset you just to exchange thoughts, ideas and experiences, as blogging gives us the chance to do that.
Life is interesting and you meet all kinds of people. You find out a bit about them and form opinions about them, yourself and life in general.
What do you think? About any or all of it? What are your thoughts, ideas and experiences?
8 comments:
**keeps an eye on this spot** I have many 2 cents worth ;-)
Thank you for leaving a comment on my blog. cayasm.
Well, being that I am Tracey's best friend for the last 11 years, I've got a lot to say on this topic. I support her 1,000,000% in her quest to understand Bipolar Disorder. I feel it is my responsibility to understand as much about it as possible. Like she said, being Bipolar is no different than being diabetic or as you said, epileptic. It's just a different part of the body affected. I have met many, many wonderful people through blogging and some of them have turned out to be Bipolar, Schizophrenic, Depressive, etc. It's made me like the individual no less nor has it made me approach them with any added caution. And believe me when I say that there are many times when I think that we has a whole (meaning every individual) all have some sort of chemical unbalance going on in our brains. It's just some choose to seek out methods to fix it and some don't. Thanks for posting this and bringing attention to an important subject matter! :)
Hey Laura
It's true, we cannot wholly trust people even our closets friends even when they don't have medical conditions. I have learned this the hard way and have been depressed about it for a week now. Plus the fact that my husband is an A-ole. The end.
Lucy in Pickering
Interesting post. I don't have friends who suffer from any disorders, unless you count immaturity in which case, I'd have to include myself as well.
But yeah if someone informed me they suffered from bi-polar or depression, I wouldn't stop being their friend, but I would wonder how I needed to act around them. Would something I say upset them? But I suppose if I put in the effort to learn more about whatever they suffered from I wouldn't have those fears.
Like you, I tend to trust people until they do something that causes me to stop doing so.
Here I am again **big smiles** Bitchy Chick, your the best you know it... That Grrl, thank you for bringing this to peoples attention...**whispers to Lucy, my husband was an A-hole too that is why he is an ex ;-)
Jillian, to your knowledge no one you know has a disorder ;-) when having a medical condition we do not get a tattoo on the forehead announcing it to the world, and thank goodness it is no the law yet to have the flashing neon sign about our heads saying "BiPolar Bitch" not many people know I do, people just think I am a bitch when I have a mood swing they do not think much of it and males calling PMS **lol** It is not that you have to be careful what you say or how you act around people, do not treat someone different because of a medical condition, though I think it is important in life to be educated, taking a first aid course could save your life or someone else's, goodness knows how many times I have had to use first aid.
I have had trouble with honesty with friends in the same way, I'm never brutal or blunt about it either, but I figure if you are friends it should all be out on the table and you *can* be gently and firmly, if needed honest with each other because you ARE FRIENDS. It always boggles my mind when a friend won't tell me if I've upset them or hurt them (because I'd like to know what I did, so that I can refrain from it in the future and apologize for this time), I've even had a friend who accused me of "starting trouble" because something her and her friends were doing was upsetting me, and I said it was upsetting me. God Forbid I open my mouth and say "Hey, you know, that really bothers me" Well, live and learn. I'm very cautious about letting people in now, but once I do, I try my best to be the friend to them that I'd like them to be to me.
Ok that was longer than I meant. lol
@Shy-
Youre right I should have clarified. Also, I did not mean for my comment to imply people should have physical identifiers (i.e. flashing signs or tattoos) that indicate a disorder of some kind.
"do not treat someone different because of a medical condition,"
And I never said I would treat them differently. I said I would wonder. I think this is a natural response upon finding out something like this. Although it's good to hear my wondering would be for naught!
But at the end of the day, I would hope ANY friend of mine feels comfortable enough to tell me I'm working that last nerve... which is often.
Post a Comment