Thank you Dr. Taylor for this! I have suffered tremendous personal anguish and shame since being labeled as bipolar at 16 years old when I tried to commit suicide to get away from my abuser. I had never been manic, but I did have depression and emotional “outbursts” as a teenager. I’m sure borderline personality disorder was listed too. I was dealing with a violent father and a pedophile at school, yet I was somehow the problem. I took every antidepressant and mood stabilizer that existed at the time. None of them helped. What helped was quitting high school (to get away from the pedophile), and moving away from my family at the age of 18. In college, I was later diagnosed with ADHD, which definitely explains a lot of my struggles. I tried to tell my family, but my parents still insist I’m bipolar.
Four years ago, I finally stopped taking what little bit of antidepressants I was on based on the advice of my doctor after seeing him for ten years. These were antidepressants my mother insisted I take, because she was still convinced I was bipolar. It was easier to take the pills than reason with her.
At 45, I once again removed my family from my life. Over the next year, I realized that maybe I wasn’t the problem after all. I was astonished at how much lighter I felt, physically, mentally, and emotionally. I also made a startlingly discovery at 46. I am a survivor of trauma, not a victim. All those years of unneeded antidepressants served as a constant reminder that I was broken, when all along my emotions were valid not abnormal. I let others around me that feared my emotions would reveal their terrible behaviors control me. Any accusations I made were easily refuted, because I was “crazy.” I refuse to be labeled as damaged because of what other people did to me.
It seems that women who experience any sort of trauma are expected to suffer silently, so their valid emotions don’t make others uncomfortable. When they refuse or can’t be silent, their emotions are pathologized - bipolar, borderline personality disorder, major depression. It’s sad that this still happens, but misogyny is still alive and well in psychology and psychiatry.
Mark you make a very valid and interesting point. At 16, I was still dependent on my dysfunctional parents. They did not question the doctors, and so neither did I. At 35, in the middle of a divorce and illness, I was once again dependent on these people. I was so entangled in their perceptions and beliefs that I was not capable of being an objective observer of my own life. Is this what you mean by induction? I just couldn’t see it until I escaped it. What’s the title of the book you’re reading? It sounds very enlightening.
I have just been talking to someone about the effects of dependence on others,we can be drawn into this state of being unknowingly because the societies we grow into are based on what people do and don't know-so we have parents-then education,which teaches us what we do know,and can go hand in hand with teaching us what we don't know,which then includes government,doctors and lawyers.I'm reading a book about science currently,it indicates a problem with what is called induction,people can have problems working things out because of what they are induced to believe,so then someone like me would add that the individuals capacity to ascertain truths about themself and their own conditions become corroded,and this is worse,as I have found,because of what are,or appear,to be conditions which aren't as good as others.
This article reminds me of the video on social media of the woman in Iran who took her clothes off. The women filming her from a window can be hear talking, and seem to be expressing astonishment and maybe fear? Like they're staying within the Perfect Women boundary, and seeing the naked woman as joining the Crazy Women category. Knowing how the authorities would likely treat the naked woman, they're shocked, but maybe also shocked out of their mental conformity?
This is true,Dr.Taylor,but not necessarily completely,everybody is an individual,but not necessarily a true individual,we should all know things about navigating our way around this problem,but I keep writing about insecurity,and insecurity can mean that a description of a person can make it so that they have a requirement for a need to be met and simultaneously not have the communication skills to fully understand what,or whom,they may be coming into contact with,and even intimately seeking to join with. In my past history the term "psycho" would have been the term "nympho",you can get males and females who learn their way around others description of insecurity to understand how to get what they want,it is known as predation,this would commonly indicate a victim and a predator,more males would be like this because of the descriptions they pick up as they grow older and its recognisable attributes which compound what could be considered as a primitive description within mankind,with males the recognisable attribute is physical strength,this does appear to be mainly true,but what isn't commonly known is that this attribute can lead to mainly picking on others who are weaker,this behaviour creates insurance for the person who chooses to use it against others,at which point someone may feel that it is indicated that the person is lacking in intelligence,or they have a social problem,this may or may not be the entire case;I don't know whether being a certain type of male has resulted with a limited viewpoint of perceiving that if anyone perceives a strength that isn't likely to attack them physically,then they will see if they can get rid of those strengths with whatever resources they have. I can see the sense of your advice for females in taking a certain stance with the way males can be,but I would rather that everyone could be moved towards identification of those who they should and should not choose to know and become involved with.
Thank you Dr. Taylor for this! I have suffered tremendous personal anguish and shame since being labeled as bipolar at 16 years old when I tried to commit suicide to get away from my abuser. I had never been manic, but I did have depression and emotional “outbursts” as a teenager. I’m sure borderline personality disorder was listed too. I was dealing with a violent father and a pedophile at school, yet I was somehow the problem. I took every antidepressant and mood stabilizer that existed at the time. None of them helped. What helped was quitting high school (to get away from the pedophile), and moving away from my family at the age of 18. In college, I was later diagnosed with ADHD, which definitely explains a lot of my struggles. I tried to tell my family, but my parents still insist I’m bipolar.
Four years ago, I finally stopped taking what little bit of antidepressants I was on based on the advice of my doctor after seeing him for ten years. These were antidepressants my mother insisted I take, because she was still convinced I was bipolar. It was easier to take the pills than reason with her.
At 45, I once again removed my family from my life. Over the next year, I realized that maybe I wasn’t the problem after all. I was astonished at how much lighter I felt, physically, mentally, and emotionally. I also made a startlingly discovery at 46. I am a survivor of trauma, not a victim. All those years of unneeded antidepressants served as a constant reminder that I was broken, when all along my emotions were valid not abnormal. I let others around me that feared my emotions would reveal their terrible behaviors control me. Any accusations I made were easily refuted, because I was “crazy.” I refuse to be labeled as damaged because of what other people did to me.
It seems that women who experience any sort of trauma are expected to suffer silently, so their valid emotions don’t make others uncomfortable. When they refuse or can’t be silent, their emotions are pathologized - bipolar, borderline personality disorder, major depression. It’s sad that this still happens, but misogyny is still alive and well in psychology and psychiatry.
Mark you make a very valid and interesting point. At 16, I was still dependent on my dysfunctional parents. They did not question the doctors, and so neither did I. At 35, in the middle of a divorce and illness, I was once again dependent on these people. I was so entangled in their perceptions and beliefs that I was not capable of being an objective observer of my own life. Is this what you mean by induction? I just couldn’t see it until I escaped it. What’s the title of the book you’re reading? It sounds very enlightening.
I have just been talking to someone about the effects of dependence on others,we can be drawn into this state of being unknowingly because the societies we grow into are based on what people do and don't know-so we have parents-then education,which teaches us what we do know,and can go hand in hand with teaching us what we don't know,which then includes government,doctors and lawyers.I'm reading a book about science currently,it indicates a problem with what is called induction,people can have problems working things out because of what they are induced to believe,so then someone like me would add that the individuals capacity to ascertain truths about themself and their own conditions become corroded,and this is worse,as I have found,because of what are,or appear,to be conditions which aren't as good as others.
This article reminds me of the video on social media of the woman in Iran who took her clothes off. The women filming her from a window can be hear talking, and seem to be expressing astonishment and maybe fear? Like they're staying within the Perfect Women boundary, and seeing the naked woman as joining the Crazy Women category. Knowing how the authorities would likely treat the naked woman, they're shocked, but maybe also shocked out of their mental conformity?
This is true,Dr.Taylor,but not necessarily completely,everybody is an individual,but not necessarily a true individual,we should all know things about navigating our way around this problem,but I keep writing about insecurity,and insecurity can mean that a description of a person can make it so that they have a requirement for a need to be met and simultaneously not have the communication skills to fully understand what,or whom,they may be coming into contact with,and even intimately seeking to join with. In my past history the term "psycho" would have been the term "nympho",you can get males and females who learn their way around others description of insecurity to understand how to get what they want,it is known as predation,this would commonly indicate a victim and a predator,more males would be like this because of the descriptions they pick up as they grow older and its recognisable attributes which compound what could be considered as a primitive description within mankind,with males the recognisable attribute is physical strength,this does appear to be mainly true,but what isn't commonly known is that this attribute can lead to mainly picking on others who are weaker,this behaviour creates insurance for the person who chooses to use it against others,at which point someone may feel that it is indicated that the person is lacking in intelligence,or they have a social problem,this may or may not be the entire case;I don't know whether being a certain type of male has resulted with a limited viewpoint of perceiving that if anyone perceives a strength that isn't likely to attack them physically,then they will see if they can get rid of those strengths with whatever resources they have. I can see the sense of your advice for females in taking a certain stance with the way males can be,but I would rather that everyone could be moved towards identification of those who they should and should not choose to know and become involved with.