Original: December 4, 2010
Updated: March 25, 2025
Believe those who are seeking the truth. Doubt those who find it. — Andre Gide
I have heard about every possible cure or treatment for bipolar disorder; being a somewhat public figure, people contact me frequently to tell me what I should be doing to treat my bipolar disorder. In no particular order, this involves:
(Not to mention all the people who contact me simply to complain about what I write and how I feel. Lovely people, those.)
And what I have to say to every one of these people is this: you have no fucking idea what you’re talking about.
Oh yes, I know. Some of these people are well-meaning. They still have no idea what they’re talking about. People over and over mistake anecdotes for evidence. Even worse, people mistake third-hand stories for evidence. Oh yes, the sister of your friend’s piano teacher got better after seeing Mr. Joe? Sign me up for that nonsense.
And keep in mind, any website expounding grand magical success stories isn’t necessarily accurate or honest. If these claims are not actually backed up by scientific studies, stories of success are nothing more than simply that — cherry-picked stories.
Profiting from Bipolar Disorder Cures and Mental Illness
Honestly, I’m tired of giving these people the benefit of the doubt. I’m just going to come right out with it: these people are trying to profit from pain and desperation. They know that desperate people will do anything to get better, no matter how wacky. They are trying to profit from you. They are trying to profit from your illness. I do not like these people. I do not like these people at all.
Promising Cures for Bipolar Kills People
I have said it before, and I will say it again: random, unscientific treatments kill people. It’s not about the ineffective treatment of taking massive amounts of vitamin C; it’s about the fact that someone is taking vitamin C instead of getting real treatment. I don’t really care if you want to think black is white, pray to a god, drink carrot juice daily, or have your aura cleansed; what I care about is that you get actual treatment too.
But Wait, Aren’t You Trying to Profit from Bipolar Disorder?
Well, that’s the sticky question now, isn’t it? Yes, I’m a writer. Yes, I make money from what I write. Yes, I have a book (with another on the way). But the difference is this: I don’t make any wild promises of cures. What I promise is my writing, nothing more, nothing less. People are free to regard or disregard it as they choose.
Bipolar Disorder Means Questions
I don’t claim to know The Truth. I claim to ask questions. I try to assimilate what we currently know about bipolar disorder, the brain, and what I know about myself, and synthesize it into a coherent form. I don’t know why I have bipolar disorder. I don’t know how to fix bipolar. I consider the human brain and the human psyche to hold some of the greatest mysteries of our age, and I’m attracted to those mysteries. I’m basically a philosopher. Like all philosophers, I’m driven by questions that can’t be answered. I’m okay with that.
(I’m also driven to write for a host of other reasons, but they are off-topic at the moment.)
Don’t Believe ‘the Truth’ About Bipolar Disorder
In short, if you believe nothing else, believe this: someone who claims to have the answer to bipolar disorder is either greatly misled or is selling something.
There is nothing that helps bipolar disorder except hard work and treatment by reputable healthcare professionals. It’s not snappy, it’s not easy, and it’s not a cure; it’s just the way it is.
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