Busting some common bipolar myths on World Bipolar Day

Spread the light with Dr Devika B

This year, in honor of World Bipolar Day, I got some friends together to bust some commonly held myths about bipolar disorder.
Here are our truths:
Myself, Dr Devika Bhushan, a pediatrician, public health leader, and equity and health changemaker: You can't tell from the outside who has bipolar disorder.
Major General Gregg Martin, PhD, retired from US Army, grandparent, person with bipolar disorder, affirms: Mental health conditions are physiologically real — and are not due to weakness of character.
Dr. Joanna Jarecki, psychiatrist, parent, and person with bipolar disorder affirms: Parents with bipolar disorder can thrive.
Andy Dunn, entrepreneur, co-founder of Bonobos, author of Burn Rate, parent, and person with bipolar disorder, affirms: Bipolar medications don’t necessarily dull people, and are crucial for him to thrive.
Sara Schley, entrepreneur, activist, author of Brainstorm, parent, grandparent, and person with bipolar disorder, affirms: Many people with bipolar disorder don’t actually experience mania.
Andrea Vassilev, doctoral student in clinical psychology, creator of a program to reduce self-stigma in bipolar disorder (OSSIBD.com), and person with bipolar disorder, affirms: Bipolar is not descriptor or a personality trait that can be used to apply to anybody — but a medical diagnosis.
Dr. Justin Bullock, a physician, researcher, and person with bipolar disorder affirms: Hypomania (or mania or depression) can look different from person to person.
#WorldBipolarDay #WBD #Bipolar #BipolarDisorder #WorldBipolarDay2023 #WBD2023
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SPREAD THE LIGHT WITH DR DEVIKA B:
First-person accounts of living with mental illness that aim to dispel stigma and stereotypes and instead, spread hope and light.
Because stigma festers in the dark and scatters in the light.
I'm your host, Dr. Devika Bhushan, a pediatrician, public health leader, and equity and health changemaker. In 2022, I served as the Acting Surgeon General for California. I have lived experience as a woman of color, a parent, a person with bipolar disorder, and an Indian-American immigrant to the US by way of the Philippines.

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SPREAD THE LIGHT WITH DR DEVIKA B:
Because stigma festers in the dark and scatters in the light.
* Join our well-being newsletter community that examines evidence-based trends in health, innovation, and culture, and destigmatizes mental illness — centering lived experience, equity, justice, and cross-cultural nuances: askdrdevikab.substack.com
You'll also find written versions of this interview and others like it there — and links to relevant sources.
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* LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/devika-bhushan-md-faap-183702149
If you or a loved one needs help for a mental health crisis in the US, don’t hesitate to call or text 988 — or reach them online here. Find other resources here, search for a treatment facility here, and find a therapist here. Here are resources specifically for LGBTQ people. If you’re a US-based clinician or health student dealing with “any issue, not just a crisis,” reach out to the Physicians Support ...