Mental Illness as Enlightenment & Link Up On the Edge #305
I just ran across the following paragraph that I had added to my running list of potential writing topics a long while back. I figured since I have nothing in mind to write about today I might as well address this topic.
Are people with bipolar disorder closer to the universal energy field? We go up and down with the tides. Lunatics were called such because it was believed that their moods were affected by lunar changes. Maybe mental illness is actually less of an illness and more of a state of higher evolution. Maybe what we call mental illness is actually the very thing that makes us more in tune with the earth, the universe, and the energy field that connects us all. But because so many are not connected in that way, the majority calls it mental illness.
Approximately one in four American adults suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in any given year with mental health diagnoses accounting for several of the top causes of disability in established market economies. Major depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and obsessive compulsive disorder are the four most prominent causes of workplace disability with many people having more than one mental health disorder, each exacerbating the other. (Source)
In case you are really bad at math, that is 25% or 1/4 of all American adults who have some sort of mental health diagnosis. A diagnosis of this sort immediately slaps a stigma on the diagnosed as well as creating the perception that the mentally ill will not be able to perform adequately on any given job or contribute in a meaningful way to society.
Of course, as with any type of physical or mental illness, people suffer from their disorders to varying degrees. With proper management of the disorder, some can function perfectly well in highly demanding careers while others can barely get out of bed some days. I would venture to guess that most people with mental health diagnoses fall somewhere in the middle, functioning just like everyone else on most days and then not so great on other days.
I personally have experienced the whole vast array of effects that a mental health issue can have on work and life. I successfully managed incredibly demanding jobs until I realized that the demand was not worth the toll on my overall personal health. It was a realization that I had to come to on my own, however, because we live in a culture that dictates our worth based on our productive output with no real margin for differences. You are either a productive member of society or you are a worthless mess of shit. There doesn’t seem to be any in between.
But societies have never consisted solely of massively productive working folks. Societies also need creatives such as artists, musicians, writers, and thinkers. While the output may be smaller from this group, the rewards at the individual level can be astronomical. Studies on the correlation between mental illness and creative types have so far been inconclusive other than showing that creatives tend to have a higher rate of bipolar disorder than the general public but all other mental health diagnoses seem to occur at the same rate across all personality types and job categories. (Source)
As a person with bipolar disorder who has worked in corporate America and also as an independent self employed creative, I know that I personally function better in a creative environment than I do in a more stringent rule-oriented corporate setting. Demanding corporate type jobs leave little time for self-care or self-awareness. I have found that without these two things in my life, I am just a hot mess of stress and anxiety. My bipolar disorder demands that I take the time for self-care and self-awareness otherwise I shut down completely and am worthless to all.
But long before I ever received a mental health diagnosis, I was already very in tune to my need for quiet thinking and introspection. I knew at a very young age that I felt and experienced things differently from the majority of my peers which always left me feeling like an outsider. After decades of living inside my body and becoming intimately familiar with the inner workings of my own mind, I am beginning to wonder if mental illness is not actually an illness at all but rather it is a heightened state of awareness that elevates us to higher thinking and revelations of the profoundest sort.
Psychiatry.org defines mental illness as health conditions that involve significant changes in thinking, emotion, and/or behavior as well as causing distress or problems in social, work, and family functioning.
First of all, I think many of us could use significant changes in the way we think, emote, and behave and any problems that may be caused in work, family, or society by such a shift are perhaps problems that we as a whole society need to be working on to improve. Just because we, the ones labeled as mentally ill, are in the minority, does not mean that the way we think is wrong or disturbed. Many people with mental health diagnoses think differently and on a much higher level than the majority, many of whom choose not to engage in higher level thinking at all.
When I was first diagnosed with bipolar disorder (along with general anxiety disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder) over 20 years ago, I took it upon myself to learn all that I could about these diagnoses as well as about myself and where I fit into my judgmental and unforgiving society. Much of what I have learned has come as a result of endless hours spent in quiet contemplation and self reflection as well as countless sessions on the therapist’s couch.
And now 22 years after my initial diagnosis, I am not framing my bipolar disorder as a disorder at all. Rather, I am choosing to see it as the path to enlightenment for it has forced me to think on a higher plane, it has prompted me to consider and contemplate important issues surrounding the human condition, it has made me kinder and more thoughtful, it has taught me how to love myself and everyone else without conditions. And now I cannot view it as disordered at all. My mind is in perfect working order and it seems to be leading me on a path to enlightenment. Therefore, I am ditching the disorder and referring to my condition bipolar enlightenment from this point forward.
I don’t want this post do dismiss the gravity of severe mental health issues. They are real and they have terrible effects on the people who suffer from them. But the labels we give to minds that function differently are destructive to those minds, minds that should be cultivated and respected for the new perspectives they can offer to help improve the world.
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Keeping it on the edge,
Shelbee
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shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.
22 Comments
Laura Bambrick
Based on what I read in your posts, I think you have taken your diagnoses and gotten a lot of enlightenment. You focus on self-care when so many ignore that need. I always am reminded to take time for myself after reading your posts on this. You have a wonderful perspective and I love that you share it with others!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Oh my goodness, Laura, thank you so much for this comment. Wow. It means the world to me to know that I am making a positive impact just by sharing my experiences. No one can gain anything from anyone if we all hide the dark stuff! But if we all share our struggles and our successes and form supportive communities, what a different world it would be!
xoxo
Shelbee
Nancy
That’s a refreshing look at it! Very interesting. Because here mental illness send to be some sort of taboe.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thank you, Nancy! We still have a long way to go as a society in understanding mental health but any little steps in the right direction are helpful!
xoxo
Shelbee
Lizzie
Thank you for always being an advocate for mental health and for using your experience in a positive way! I’m glad that mental health as a whole is getting much more recognition and normalcy these days but we still have a long way to go. It was wasn’t until therapy that a few things were pointed out to me that I didn’t see before – anxiety, depression, possible OCPD and C-PTSD. I thought everyone had felt the way I did but it explained why I always felt so “different.” Getting to the root of everything has made it easier for me to move forward and recognize when I’m feeling a certain way and how to cope with it. Personally, I do think everyone has something that they are dealing with so there’s no need to feel isolated <3
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Oh my gosh, Lizzie, that last part is so on point! Nobody gets through this life without hurt and pain and struggle and loss and we all deal with our things in different ways. But somewhere along the way some of those different ways of coping have been labeled as mental health issues. Maybe the mental health issue is actually the coping mechanism itself. Many disorders manifest as a result of a trauma and the disorder is the very thing that saves the psyche from too much harm. I really appreciate the way you share your journey and experiences as well and I am so glad to hear that therapy has been helping you get to the root of some things. Knowledge has always been the best treatment for me…because you can’t help yourself until you know what needs helping! This is why I have always been willing to discuss the topics that make most people uncomfortable. Because we shouldn’t have to be uncomfortable talking about natural human things! So let’s keep talking, my friend!
xoxo
Shelbee
Cheryl Shops
I think it’s a really great perspective that you are seeing your condition as a gift (or enlightenment) rather than something that’s “wrong”. And I think you may be on to something with your starting paragraph—my mom used to work in a hospital, and whenever she’d been dealing with a lot of emotional patients, she’d come home and say “it must be a full moon tonight.” She’d check the calendar and 9 times out of 10, she was right!
Cheryl Shops | http://www.cherylshops.net
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Cheryl, thanks so much! I know science has clearly stated that the moon does not effect people in this way, but I whole heartedly disagree because I am most definitely effected by the phases of the moon. In fact, very often my tattoo ink will pull to the surface of my skin (and it gets very itchy when it does) in relation to the moon phases. I asked a tattoo artist about this phenomenon and he said that he found it very common with people who felt extremely connected to the universe. I also find it fascinating how quickly science dismisses universal energy and connection.
xoxo
Shelbee
Marsha Banks
As always, Shelbee, you’ve given me lots to think about. I’ve always wondered about the seeming self-destructiveness of people like Amy Winehouse, Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendryx, and Janis Joplin. They were so very talented and yet seemed so vulnerable at the same time. I think you may actually be on the right track. I had several students with “emotional handicaps” who were extremely intelligent yet struggled so much with getting along and fitting in with their classmates…another social construct, right? I always thought that if they could have been in a small class of five or six like minded kids and a teacher with understanding, there would have been nothing they could have done. Unfortunately, a couple of them are now in prison because that talent and intelligence was never recognized and guided.
I also always think about my aunt who was severely bipolar. Her life was one of unending problems, tragedies, and alienating everyone around her. When she was on her medication, her life was somewhat normal. When she was not, it was so terrible for her. It was heartbreaking to watch her.
Thanks for the link party!
https://marshainthemiddle.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Marsha, thank you for sharing these stories with me. As with all other things in our culture, different, even when it comes to the way we think and process emotions, is perceived as bad. It is the most frustrating thing to bear witness to. I cannot emphasize this loud enough or frequently enough…different does not mean wrong! So why do we, as an entire species, have to frame everything in this way? Why can’t we all just be who we are and who we want to be without judgment or ridicule or negative labels slapped on it? Ugh. It is exhausting.
xoxo
Shelbee
Jessica A Jannenga
I think it is more and more important not to overlook mental health. I do think with your diagnosis you are quite introspective, and there are people that don’t dig deep within themselves. I have GAD- Generalize Anxiety Disorder, and take medication as well as contemplating why I am thinking a certain way. I went through CBT, and it did help with some of the ways of thinking.
Now your outfit! Love it. Quintessential Shelbee!
Have a great weekend!
jess xx
http://www.elegantlydressedandstylish.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Jess! I definitely try to view my diagnosis as a valuable tool rather than a hindrance. Doctors were so quick to just label me as dysfunctional that it’s hard not to just give in to the illness. Medications definitely have their place in helping with certain diagnosis and I am so fascinated right now by all the research with psychedelics and mental health. These drugs, that are completely safe for us, have been kept from us for so long. Many lives could have been saved if our government hadn’t decided our “natural” drugs were bad. Instead, they pumped us full of pharmaceuticals, the very ones that nearly killed me. I also have learned that every person has a different treatment that will work for them so I think we should all be sharing what has worked for us. If it can help just one person, that is one more person who can live a full life with a mental health diagnosis. And it turns out that we actually do have control over our brains and we can rewire them through various forms of avaialbe treatments right now. I am so excited to see how this new research benefits the mental health field!
xoxo
Shelbee
chickenruby
Thank you for sharing your post with us at #pocolo I hope you continue to find enlightenment throughout your journey. Fab red sandals BTW
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Suzanne! I really appreciate that! Have a lovely weekend.
xoxo
Shelbee
Patrick Weseman
I think that you are super enlightened and that we as a country really need to think how we treat mental health. For example, my health insurance will treat almost anything but for therapy I get six sessions and then I am cured.
We need more people like you speaking out and being advocates. I saw my mom suffer from bi-polar issues and I know that she got zero help. To me, mental health is more important than physical health sometimes.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thank you so much, Patrick! We have definitely come a long way in the mental health field but there is still so much further to go. I have been watching documentaries and reading books about all the psychedelic research being done in mental health. It is so fascinating and also kind of frustrating that our government deemed these really helpful and not at all harmful drugs to be the evil of all evils. We can do more and we have to do more. That’s the bottom line. Thank you for joining the discussions!
xoxo
Shelbee
Michelle
As a society, we would all be a lot better off if people were more accepting of differences rather than demanding we all be little cookie cutter automatons. This applies to everything from mental illness, autism, sexual orientation, and those with chronic physical illnesses or physical differences. It serves no purpose. I suppose back in the cave man days too different might mean danger for the tribe, but we are long past that and need to grow the hell up. Embrace the differences, see what each person has to offer in the way of perspective, learn from each other. (Since my own health issues are of a physical nature, and I spend time on autoimmune FB groups, I am aware of just how much this group of people is demeaned for their inability to be productive.) We are all far more than our ability to make the company owner richer.
I like the way you re looking at your own situation and seeing not only the positive aspects, but owning it, embracing it. Great post!
Michelle
https://mybijoulifeonline.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Michelle, I am giving you a silent standing ovation on my couch right now! Thank you for this perfectly stated comment on these issues. I agree with you 100% on all of it! It all comes down to unconditional love as it always seems to…if we can all learn how to just love people without any conditions on that love and respect people for who they are, what a wonderful world it would be!
xoxo
Shelbee
Carol
I like the idea of using the term “bipolar enlightenment.” Thanks for sharing the important information that you include in this post. And thanks for participating in Talent-Sharing Tuesdays Link-Up 26.
Carol
http://www.scribblingboomer.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Carol, thank you so much! Sharing my mental health journey was the original driving force behind my blog so I am always happy to share these sorts of posts. But they do take a lot out of me to write for some reason and sometimes I just get too lazy to dig that deep!
xoxo
Shelbee
Laurie
I think normal is hard to define. Sometimes we have a sense of things being out of the ordinary, in a harmful way. Emotions are a challenging thing. I think our modern world of stress really does push people in a negative direction.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Laurie
Ridge Haven Homestead
Sunday Sunshine Blog Hop
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Laurie. I agree with you completely that emotions are very challenging and our modern world doesn’t really do that much to help the situation, for sure. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
xoxo
Shelbee