My Son and Bipolar Disorder: Where is My Casserole?

Bipolar disorder is just as serious as many other physical illnesses, so why does society view it so differently?

When my son was diagnosed with bipolar you could’ve swore I told people he had the plague. No one brought casseroles to my house or offered their support. Yet I got a lot of “I’m sorry” and very pitiful looks, as if my son had been diagnosed with a terminal illness. Mental illness is a lifelong battle but it is treatable and not terminal.

Why does society views it so differently? Why are they so afraid of it? Why are people with mental illness treated like outcasts? Society is definitely afraid of what they do not understand. Just because you can’t see it doesn’t make it any less important. Why is there such a stigma attached to it and how to we dispel it?

If I were to tell those same people my son had cancer I am sure their reaction would’ve been much different. I am sure my neighbors would be dropping off casseroles and offering their support. I am sure I would have a list of doctors I could choose from. I am sure I wouldn’t have to wait weeks or months to see a specialty doctor. I am sure we wouldn’t have to spend hours upon hours in an emergency room waiting to get treatment or find an open bed. I am sure we would have options for hospitals stays and they would cater to sick children. I am sure my insurance company would let my son get treatment and not given me a certain number of days in a calendar year or an expenditure cap. I am sure someone would be throwing me a benefit or a go fund me page to help defer the rising costs of treatment. I am sure there would be lots of funding for research. I am sure there would be fundraising events for research and people would be raising awareness. I am sure the community would be rallying for his recovery. I am sure people would care!

So why don’t people care that my son has bipolar? He was just 10 years old when he was diagnosed. A sweet young innocent boy who had no control over his mood swings. A victim of his own brain. I wasn’t a bad parent, he wasn’t raised in a bad environment, it is NOT a behavior problem and he DOES NOT choose to be this way!!! Just because he looks “normal” doesn’t mean he isn’t sick. You can’t see diabetes or epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, or cancer for that matter and still they don’t get the bad wrap mental illness does.

Is it the name? Mental? Does society view it as something you should have control over? The more I am submerged in this world the more I am noticing the number of people who don’t suffer from some type of mental illness seems to be minimal. If the statistics show that 1 in 4 people suffer from a mental illness it would seem we have an epidemic on our hands and yet we haven’t progressed with education, awareness, or research funding. It’s been 12 years since my son was diagnosed and the struggles parents are going through today hasn’t changed much since he was diagnosed. That is very sad to me.

I want someone to bring me a casserole. I want people to send me well wishes. I want my son to get fair treatment for his illness. I want him to be in a hospital without white walls and bars on the windows. I want him to not have to be strip searched for his stay in the hospital. I want him to have a doctor it doesn’t take weeks to get in when he is sick. I want him to have insurance coverage that doesn’t have a bunch of red tape. I want research funding and fundraisers. I want him not to be afraid to tell people about his illness.

I want fair treatment and recovery.

I want him not to be judged.

I want him to have a fair chance in society without stigma!

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