When I was first diagnosed with bipolar disorder, I actually felt relieved. Finally, I thought I had an explanation for the manic and depressive symptoms that had caused so much chaos in my life.
For years, psychiatrists reinforced this belief by telling me I had a “chemical imbalance,” comparing bipolar disorder to diabetes and medication to insulin.
But as my mental state deteriorated, the diagnosis began to feel like a trap. I believed I had a lifelong mental illness, and when my symptoms damaged my family, I became convinced they’d be better off without me. At my lowest point, I nearly ended my life.
Thankfully, a miraculous experience showed me the truth: my family needed me, and I needed to find a better way to live. That moment sparked my journey of healing.
Questioning the Bipolar Diagnosis
Over the next 15 years of recovery, I began asking questions:
- If bipolar disorder is truly incurable, how was I getting better?
- Why did medication seem to make my brain more unstable, not less?
Books like Robert Whitaker’s Anatomy of an Epidemic and Joanna Moncrieff’s The Myth of the Chemical Cure helped me see the cracks in the “chemical imbalance” theory.
Then I came across Jonathan Shedler’s article in Psychology Today: “A Psychiatric Diagnosis Is Not a Disease.” He explained that psychiatric labels like bipolar disorder don’t identify medical conditions. They simply describe clusters of symptoms.
That was my lightbulb moment.
Why “Bipolar Disorder” Is Misleading
The name itself is deceptive. Calling it a “disorder” makes people believe they’ve been given an answer about the cause of their symptoms. But in reality, it’s like going to a doctor with recurring fevers and being told you have “Fever Disorder.” That’s not an explanation—it’s just a description.
This mislabeling does serious harm:
- It stops curiosity. Doctors stop asking why symptoms exist.
- It fosters helplessness. People believe their only hope is lifelong medication.
- It creates a victim mindset. When you’re told your spending sprees, depression, or anger are “just bipolar,” you feel powerless to change.
The Problem With “Best Practices” for Bipolar Treatment
Today’s “gold standard” treatment is psychotropic medication. But these drugs don’t treat a proven cause—because no cause has been identified.
Instead, they actually create chemical imbalances in the brain. This dysregulation leads to chronic symptoms, which are then blamed on “bipolar disorder,” making it seem incurable.
The cycle is heartbreaking: misdiagnosis → drugs → worsening symptoms → lifelong label.
From Bipolar Disorder to Bipolar Symptoms
With my coaching clients, I no longer use the term “bipolar disorder.” Instead, I talk about bipolar symptoms—because symptoms have sources.
Once you ask the right questions, you start uncovering those sources. In my case, no one asked about the childhood bullying that left me suicidal at 12, or the emotional and sexual abuse I endured in my first marriage.
Instead, I was given a depression and anxiety diagnosis. When antidepressants triggered mania, doctors changed the label to bipolar disorder. No one stopped to consider that the medication itself had caused my mania.
The Truth: Bipolar Is Not Incurable
We need to stop telling people they have a chronic, incurable disease. The truth is:
- You don’t have bipolar disorder. You have bipolar symptoms.
- Your symptoms have causes.
- When you identify and address those causes—whether trauma, drug use, health factors, or other life experiences—healing and recovery are possible.
If you have been told you have bipolar disorder, I encourage you: get curious. Don’t stop at the label. Ask: Why did these symptoms begin? What is my story trying to tell me?
Key Takeaway
Bipolar disorder is not the life sentence it’s made out to be. By shifting the conversation from “disorder” to “symptoms,” we move from hopelessness to healing.
You are not broken. You are experiencing symptoms—and symptoms have solutions.
If you’d like to learn the specific steps that helped me move from suffering to recovery, check out my book The Upside of Bipolar: 7 Steps to Heal Your Disorder.
FAQ Section:
Is bipolar disorder really incurable?
No. The diagnosis describes symptoms, not an underlying disease. With the right healing tools, recovery is possible.
What is the chemical imbalance theory of bipolar disorder?
It’s the outdated idea that mental illness is caused by brain chemistry imbalances. Research has debunked this theory.
Can bipolar symptoms be healed?
Yes. By identifying the root causes of symptoms—such as trauma, drug use, or health factors—healing and recovery are possible.