Hello my lovelies! After months trawling around reddit and google looking for affirmations, communities and answers, I didn’t realise The Mighty existed until a dear friend pointed me in your direction. I’m a freelance writer who has been misdiagnosed with Bipolar for a decade, despite explaining many of my symptoms to doctors that have NOTHING to do with chemical imablances and much more to do with trauma.
I am doing research on how people who struggle with undiagnosed or misdiagnosed mental health issues explain their perspective and daily experiences to family, friends, loved ones and medical professionals. I would love to know from you, what metaphors and analogies do you use to explain the world from your perspective?
The project focusses on the experience of ‘symptoms’ of mental health disorders, rather than experience of a ‘disorder’. So for example, if you think you experience Bipolar Disorder – I would love to know how you explain ‘mania’, ‘depression’ and ‘racing thoughts’. If you experience Schizophrenia, how do ‘delusions’ and ‘hallucinations’ feel… or with depression, how does ‘fatigue’ or ‘withdrawal’ feel. Misdiagnosis and misunderstandings are rife within psychiatry, as mental health conditions are
Living with a misdiagnosis or not understanding if a diagnosis is right for you can be crippling and many disorders have so much overlap it can be hard to know where to start, or where you fit in to the picture! I thought having a resource that spans across all of this would be so productive and useful.
I have created a group (although I'm very new to this and a bit discombobulated!), or you can let me know right here!
It’s great to meet you all and can't wait to hear your stories.
Rachel
#Undiagnosed #Misdiagnosed #Writing #livedexperience #Depression #Anxiety #BipolarDisorder #DID #Schizophrenia