People Are Going to Disagree With Your Bipolar Treatment Plan

I was inspired today by Seth Godin’s blog article Lady Gaga and Me. In it, he makes the point that writers needn’t worry about all the people who don’t like them because really, they should only worry about all those who do. I understand this as I’m a writer, and there are people who don’t like my writing; which is OK, because there are many who do.

The same goes for bipolar treatments. Some people are just never going to agree with your chosen bipolar treatment plan no matter what you do.

Bipolar Treatment Plans Are Hard Won

A bipolar treatment plan is a personalized multivariable plan that often multiple professionals help you to create. Bipolar treatment plans encompass everything you’ve learned and everything you’ve researched about bipolar disorder. Treatment plans are the culmination of a myriad of decisions you had to make in order to settle on a way to treat your life-threatening illness.

Treatment plans do not pop out of a hat and they cannot be easily replaced.

Drugs Are Evil

It is a fact that most bipolars will be on medication for the rest of their lives. And if this is part of your plan, you will undoubtedly run into people who think that taking any type of psychotropic medication is wrong. You’ll probably run into people who will try very hard to convince you it’s wrong. You’ll run across site after site on the internet telling you just how wrong it really is.

Psychiatrists Are Evil

It is also a fact that pretty much all mentally ill people will see psychiatrists. This is not surprising being that psychiatrists specialize in mental illness. Nevertheless, you will run into people who will tell you that doctors are bad and they are paid off by the drug companies in a world-wide conspiracy to keep you sick.

Therapy Is Useless and Shows Weakness

You’ll likely also run into anti-therapy folks. These are often men who feel that therapy makes others (particularly men) seem weak. You’ll run into people who have had really bad therapists who now hate the entire profession and warn you against it. You’ll run into people who tell you that if the years of therapy you’ve had so far didn’t help you, then continuing is a stupid thing to do.

God is Good

If religion is not part of your personal package you will undoubtedly run into people who tell you it should be. They will tell you how they have been saved by their religion and that if you would just see the light, you too would be saved. They will tell you that your suffering is related to their religion in some way and either indicates a certain afterlife or indicates requirements in this life.

There are More Wacky Mental Illness Ideas Than You Would Believe

Quite frankly I could go on and on. But the point is this, no matter what you choose to include or exclude from your treatment plan it will garner vehement disagreement from some people.

Suck It Up

OK, I know saying suck it up is unfair, but honestly, there’s really nothing else you can do. You’re going to have to grow a thick skin and maybe some blinders and put a sandbox in your backyard. That isn’t at all fair, but it is reality.

Letting All that Negativity in Will Hurt You

As Seth mentions:

“You're on the hunt …for fans, for people willing to cross the street to work with you. Everyone else can pound sand, that's okay. Being remarkable also means being ignored or actively disliked.”

The people around you can either support the painstaking choices you’ve made or they can just stop talking. You’re under enough pressure and stress being mentally ill. You don’t need them on top of that.

Treatment Plans Change

I’m not saying you’ll never change your bipolar treatment plan – you will. I’m not saying none of these people are helpful – some are. But changes to your treatment plan should be made by you with the help of the professionals around you.

Because at the end of the day, it’s about making it to the end of the day. People throwing tomatoes at you don’t help that, so ignore them.

You can find Natasha Tracy on Facebook or @Natasha_Tracy on Twitter.