Thankful Thursday: Coming Clean

On Tuesday, I dropped a few f-bombs and came out about my husband’s bipolarism. In the three years of running this blog, I’ve been fairly tight-lipped about my husband’s condition based on the stigma society attaches to this disorder. People don’t view mental illness the way they view things like diabetes or cancer. I’m grateful for the work that Bring Change 2 Mind does in raising awareness and breaking down the stigmas associated with mental illness. I’m even more thankful to Kelly Gurnett of Cordelia Calls It Quits for sharing her own experience with bipolar disorder.

Now, it’s not like every day is a scary, horrible day with Brian. It’s not like what you see on TV or in movies that demonize those who suffer from bipolarism. He’s not a threat to society like the stigmas would lead you to believe. Actually, when he’s in a low, he’s really just a threat to himself — any harm caused to others would be a result of him causing harm to himself. He takes medicine to treat his condition, much like he takes medication to keep his triglyceride levels in check. It’s really not all that different from taking medication to prevent seizures (actually, his mood stabilize is an anti-seizure medication as well) or to control thyroid hormones. He regularly visits his psychiatrist to evaluate his treatment plan, and he visits a therapist once a week. Just like anyone with a health condition, he does what he needs to do in order to keep his disorder under control.

Today, I’m thankful to say that I see no reason why this should be kept secret from everyone else — after all, he’s my husband and a very big part of my life. He’s a very wonderful, loving person, and his presence enhances my life. I’m thankful knowing that there are others who suffer from this same condition and still lead fulfilling lives. Mostly though, I’m thankful to get this off my chest.