Things NOT to say to someone suffering from Bipolar Disorder
I found this list online of things not to say to someone with Bipolar Disorder. Reading through the list definitely elicited some emotion from me. What do you think. Are there other's that you've heard that make you mad? Which ones are the worst?
"What's your problem?"
Will you stop that constant whining?"
What makes you think that anyone cares?"
"Have you gotten tired yet of all this me-me-me stuff?"
"You just need to give yourself a kick in the rear"
"But it's all in your mind"
"I thought you were stronger than that"
"No one ever said life was fair"
"Pull yourself up by your bootstraps"
"Why don't you just grow up?"
"Stop feeling sorry for yourself"
"There are a lot of people worse off than you"
"You have it so good - why aren't you happy?"
"What do you have to be depressed about?"
"You think you've got problems..."
"Well at least it's not that bad"
"Lighten up"
"You should get off all those pills"
"You are what you think"
"Cheer up"
"You're always feeling sorry for yourself"
"Why can't you just be normal?"
"You need to get out more"
"Get a grip"
"Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be"
"Get a job"
"You don't 'look' depressed"
"You're just looking for attention"
"Everybody has a bad day now and then"
"Why don't you smile more?"
"A person your age should be having the time of their life"
"The only one you're hurting is yourself"
"You can do anything you want if you just set your mind to it"
"Depression is a symptom of your sin against God"
"You brought this on yourself"
"Get off your rear and do something"
"Snap out of it"
"You're always worried about your problems"
"Just don't think about it"
"Go out and have some fun"
"Just try a little harder"
"I know how you feel - I was depressed once for several days"
"You'd feel better if you went to church"
"Shit or get off the pot"
"What you need is some real tragedy in your life to give you perspective"
"This too shall pass"
"Go out and get some fresh air"
"We all have our cross to bear"
"You don't like feeling that way? So change it"
"You're a real downer to be around"
"You are embarrassing me"
"You'd feel better if you lost some weight"
"You're too hard on yourself. Quit being such a perfectionist"
"Don't take it out on everyone else around you"
"You are going to lose a lot of friends if you don't snap out of this"
"You're dragging me down with you"
"You're just being immature"
"You are your own worst enemy"
"That is life - get used to it"
"My life isn't fun either"
"You don't care about the rest of us - you're so self-absorbed"
@InvaderStitch
honestly i don't think this is something to tell anyone; it's just really hurtful and convinces them that they're something worse than what they actually are?? if you've had this said to you then i'm really sorry, and sending positive vibes your way!! nonetheless, thank you for sharing; i'm sorry if this reply sounded like attacking; all i meant to say was perhaps this isn't just for bipolar disorder. thanks for posting this though!!
Funny you should say that because someone wrote "You are what you think" to someone else who was pretty upset during a discussion in the compassion room this morning @InvaderStitch i was pretty taken back by it but didn't say anything.
I've heard so many of these statements before that it has failed being even remotely funny.
This is a really comprehensive list of terrible things most of us have heard before.
And it's more than a shame that we have.