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<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\nI took a long break from social media and returned to dozens of videos saying Bipolar 2 is harder than Bipolar 1 and I am beyond intrigued as to why people are saying this. <\/p>\n
I absolutely believe people with Bipolar II suffer. I know depression can be horrible, and I would never tell someone that their illness isn\u2019t difficult.<\/p>\n
But what bothers me is the confidence with which people make statements like \u201cBipolar II is actually worse than Bipolar I.\u201d
How would you know?<\/p>\n
If you\u2019ve never experienced full-blown mania, you don\u2019t know what it\u2019s like.
And I say that as someone who has lived with Bipolar I for a very long time.
I have experienced multiple psychiatric hospitalizations because of mania. I\u2019ve gone completely off the rails and done things I would never do when I\u2019m well. Full-blown mania isn\u2019t simply having lots of energy, being productive, or feeling really good. It can completely take over your judgment and your life.<\/p>\n
And then comes the other side.
I spend most of my time depressed. And I\u2019m not talking about being a little sad. I\u2019m talking about debilitating depression that can last for months, where I don\u2019t even want to leave my house and can barely function.<\/p>\n
So when I see someone say that Bipolar II is harder because they experience depression and occasionally become hypomanic, I honestly have a hard time understanding the comparison.<\/p>\n
Hypomania and full-blown mania are not the same thing.
And no, I\u2019m not saying hypomania is always wonderful or that people with Bipolar II don\u2019t suffer. That\u2019s not my point at all.<\/p>\n
My point is that there are consequences to severe mania that people who haven\u2019t experienced it may simply not understand.
You don\u2019t necessarily end up on a psychiatric ward because you got a little extra energy.<\/p>\n
You don\u2019t necessarily completely lose control of your judgment.
You don\u2019t necessarily make decisions that can change your life.<\/p>\n
And you don\u2019t necessarily experience the kind of devastating crash that can follow severe mania.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s my reality.<\/p>\n
So yes, I get that everybody has their own struggles. We all have different thresholds, and we all experience mental illness differently.<\/p>\n
But I don\u2019t think it\u2019s helpful\u2014or fair\u2014to turn Bipolar I and Bipolar II into a competition and declare one \u201charder.\u201d
And honestly, I wish people would stop acting as though Bipolar I is somehow the easier version.<\/p>\n
Because if you\u2019ve never experienced severe Bipolar I, you really don\u2019t know what you\u2019re talking about when you tell someone who has lived through it that they have it easier.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m not saying Bipolar II is easy.
I\u2019m saying you don\u2019t know my illness just because you know your own.
And after everything I\u2019ve been through, I\u2019m tired of seeing people who have never experienced what I\u2019ve experienced confidently tell me that their version is worse.<\/p>\n
You don\u2019t get to tell me what my illness feels like. I lived it. \ud83e\udd8b<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n