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Oprah had guests who suffer from Bipolar Disorder. I was very excited to see that she was doing a show on this seriously misunderstood topic. Then I watched the show.
I wasn't completely disappointed, but I wish she had brought more "real" people to the show to share their stories. Movie/Tv stars are great for getting the word out that even the "famous" ones can suffer, but she also had a mother who killed her child. What does that say now about us? She used the word "crazy" to describe actions made by people with bipolar. I do take some offense to that. If I could choose to not have this illness, I would. I don't want to be seen as crazy. I have a hard enough time convincing myself that I am not crazy. I concede that all my thoughts and actions are not rational, but does that make me "crazy"? I am glad she is trying to bring some light to this subject, but in future shows (she is having Sinead O'Connor talk about bipolar in an upcoming episode) she can give more information and more hope.

Now, unlike the mother who killed her child, I have never thought of
physically injuring someone. However, I have tried to harm myself many
times. Even with that, it leaves a lasting effect on those around you.
This disorder is so hard to fight because it resides in your brain. Your
brain that is suppose to be what tells you right from wrong and what guides
you safely thru life. Having Bipolar distorts those thoughts. What the "normal"
people may think are irrational thoughts can be perceived as very rational
thoughts in our minds. This is what makes it so hard to fight. Your brain is
lying to you. How can you make other's possibly see that? You can't. This is
also what makes fighting this illness so hard. They just feel you are being
out of control and irrational, and they are most likely right, but in our
heads, it is completely justified and rational. It is like having tunnel vision
that only you can see. I just wish one day that the stigma of a "mental illness"
will be lifted so that we can seek the correct help without judgment. So that
we can live amongst society that understands that it isn't our fault, it is just
something we struggle to survive. We should not be made to feel ashamed that
we have this illness. If I were to have diabetes, I wouldn't feel ashamed and I would
have a society ready to help me in the fight. Why can't Bipolar be the same???

Here is the link to her website showing today's show:

http://www.oprah.com/tows/pastshows/200709/tows_past_20070924.jhtml

**edited- Hi Natalie, thank you so much for posting. I completely agree
with you. I actually did post on the message board about it. I couldn't
help myself. Your comment didn't leave a link to your blog, please email
me so that I can view what you wrote too. I would love to see your
input. Thanks! Missi **