Is Bipolar Disorder A Celebrity Fad

This is an article I was just reading from AlterNet, and was written by Robert Westhead, of The Independent UK, and recounts his fight with bipolar disorder, as well as whether it is a celebrity fad, or real disease for people like Britney Spears. It is a good article, and provides insights that people who have not suffered mental illness may find eye opening, in this three page article.

He writes:
I became more prone to occasional mood swings, which I think were the early signs of illness. I remember becoming tearful for no obvious reason and starting to withdraw when I was in the sixth form. Before university I went travelling for a year, which is when I became seriously ill. Suddenly I started having regular and increasingly severe mood swings.

The scariest thing was that I had no idea what was happening. At the age of 19 most people have never even heard of bipolar disorder -- I certainly hadn't. When I was up I'd be enjoying the delicious euphoria, then when I crashed I would rack my brains trying to understand why I was so unhappy. I kept thinking I must have had some terrible childhood experience to make me so miserable, but could never come up with anything. I had no clue that I had a psychiatric illness.

Eventually, in one of the down phases, I gathered the wherewithal to get myself home. By the time I boarded the flight home from Bangkok I was very high. I arrived at Heathrow airport to be collected by my parents. I was talking 10 to the dozen and telling them I didn't need any sleep -- when you're really high you really can go without sleep. In a manic week I'd only sleep for an hour or so a night. My family just didn't know what to make of me.

The instances of mental illness may seem on the increase, but it also may be that it can be diagnosed much better now, and that is why it seems like "everyone" has a mental illness they are being treated for. So, is it Real or Is it another Fad, like Celebrity Rehab?!!


real or fad