This is an excellent piece written by one of our members. I highly reccommend it to you.
Yes, Virginia. There are positives to living with Bipolar Disorder. A new study by Lancaster University has captured the views of people who report some highly-valued, positive experiences while living with the condition. I can’t tell you how refreshing it is to read an article that, for once, actually calls out some of the positives – and yes there are some – about this serious mental illness.
I do not believe I could have accomplished all I have without BP, and if there were an Off switch I wouldn’t press it. Without BP, my senses wouldn’t have been acute enough nor my cognition rapid enough to have realized all I have professionally. I’ve held the high-functioning professional job, at times found studying for the higher level qualifications simple and added impressive accomplishments to my resume. Bipolar has in many ways enhanced my life.
Of course, there is the flip side…
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Mental Health Writers' Guild 
I was so appreciative to Manic Musis for this wonderful reference that I actually had to comment twice on her site! It’s an extremely important topic to open to conversation. I looked at the original article, and the part that concerns me about it is where participants seem grateful for their manic states–which I believe most BD people have felt, but which is alarming, as depression follows that elevation as surely as night follows day, and I worry that touting the positives of the upper pole might even encourage medication non-compliance. The summary piece writes, “Participants described a wide range of experiences and internal states that they believed they felt to a far greater intensity than those without the condition. These included increased perceptual sensitivity, creativity, focus and clarity of thought.” Those are results of mania/hypomania. When fellow members feel grateful for their BD–if they, indeed, do–is there something about it for which they’re thankful that is not inherently tied up in a mood swing? Am quite interested in some open dialogue about it.
I don’t have Bipolar but today I read a member of one of my FB groups saying how happy she was to be in a manic phase now after weeks of being depressed. And actually having travelled alongside her (if at the other end of a computer) through it I could very much see her point.
Hi Cate,
Yes I think mood swing from the depressed phase to the manic phase is often greeted with appreciation but I think Candida’s concern is that the manic phase is then inevitably followed by a depressed phase. Having experience of both the drepessed phases and the manic phases I can certainly understand the welcome we sometimes give the manic after the depressed BUT I do see Candida’s point.
Hope that helps and I sure Candida will comment on it herself 🙂
Kind Regards
Kevin