Do we easily get misread

[sherr33]

Am I the only one or do people with Bipolar tend to get misread easily. I was trying to explain to my pastor what I go through with a med change and he took it the wrong way. I told him its hard for me to clean the house so we have our neice help us out, its hard when I cant cook and we eat simple because I am sick, Its frustrating when no one calls us to see how we are doing.
He took it as they needed to do those things. That was not my intention at all. He is caring and compassionate but he still thinks well if you think Positive you will get over this. he also thinks I need to quit dwelling on my illness and forget the past. Are those hard things to do for people with Bipolar or is it just me?
Thanks

 

[DoubtingThomas29]

I feel that recovery is like a continuous ordeal. It goes on your whole life, take it day at a time.

 

[Alaskamomma]

There are many people around who do not understand the diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Some have "half truths" they think are the whole truth and some people are just out to lunch altogether when it conserns mental illness at all.

I wouldn't get too upset with your pastor as he may just not understand. You could ask your psych doc for a handout on it and give it to the pastor.

I feel the same way a lot of the time with regards to the housework and cooking, etc. Luckily, I have a great husband who helps out when he knows I just can't handle it at the time.

I don't mention anything to my pastor. I have learned from experience (the hard way) that the less the church knows about you, the better. Atleast in my case.

 

[AmyluvsBears]

Speaking as a preacher's wife, I can only say that at times it is very hard for a pastor to understand. A pastor is approached very often with requests for help, so when a person says they are having difficulty, we feel that we are being asked to fill that need. Also it is difficult when we know that someone is going thru a hard time, and not know how to help. There have been times in our ministry that we have been screamed at and cursed by a person with bi-polar, it's hard not to take it personally. We also have the needs of the rest of the congregation on our shoulders, so we may not be able to respond in the manner needed. In our case, my husband also works outside of the church, so the demands can be overwhelming. Pray for your pastor, I know that he prays for you. We are trying to understand.

 

[rushingwind62]

Yes we do get misread a lot and people who don't understand what BP is just don't have a clue.That is why it is important that we educate them as much as we can. Unfortunately some in the religous field are not teachable because they think it is all a matter of faith. And that is sad, because we have to deal with sickness in these mortal bodies. I suggest you get some information phamlets and give to them. They still may not see it or understand it, and may even deny it exsists. All we can do is try.

 

[tallyn75]

He took it as they needed to do those things. That was not my intention at all. He is caring and compassionate but he still thinks well if you think Positive you will get over this. he also thinks I need to quit dwelling on my illness and forget the past.

I'm going to chime in here from a little different approach.

There are churches who believe you can think/pray yourself out of any circumstance. You should see if your church believes this way; and if they do, do you agree? The only thing I'm going to add to this is: If you knew someone with diabetes would you tell them to stop dwelling on their illness and forget the past?

I am now officially unsticking my nose from where it probably doesn't belong. ;o)

My whole cognative life I have had instances of being misread by others. Or even nods when they really don't understand what the heck I'm saying.

Take care,
Tallyn

 

[Autumnleaf]

I think it happens more often. As our moods change our countenance does too which comes across differently which leads people to read us differently. They may read us as moody when we are, then later when they say we must be moody we might be wondering what they are going on about. I think its a communication problem which happens sometimes.

 

[Chronic1]

Am I the only one or do people with Bipolar tend to get misread easily. I was trying to explain to my pastor what I go through with a med change and he took it the wrong way. I told him its hard for me to clean the house so we have our neice help us out, its hard when I cant cook and we eat simple because I am sick, Its frustrating when no one calls us to see how we are doing.
He took it as they needed to do those things. That was not my intention at all. He is caring and compassionate but he still thinks well if you think Positive you will get over this. he also thinks I need to quit dwelling on my illness and forget the past. Are those hard things to do for people with Bipolar or is it just me?
Thanks

If you have a mood disorder, you will not "just get over it". Mental Illness is one of the most misunderstood physical problems in our society. People with Bipolar disorder, when left untreated, usually end up in psych wards, incarcerated or dead....those are the ugly facts.

 

[AmyluvsBears]

I don't mean to sound like I'm beating a dead horse, but in alot of cases, the pastor does not understand what is wanted or needed. You are right, we don't understand. There are times you need to come out and tell us. We need to know what is expected. We are not medical professionals. We have no magic bullet. In most cases, all we have is prayer. As much as we would like to, we can't make things better for you. In the situation we are dealing with, we don't know from one moment to the next what we are dealing with. One time we see her, she's up, talking a mile a minute, the next time, she's angry with the world, and taking it out on everyone around her. There are times that it appears that she is worse at church, or with my husband and myself. Sometimes this disorder takes on the appearance of being spiritual in nature.
A pastor's job is to lead the congregation to the Lord. We are still human, and not perfect. We mess up at times too. We also have a responsibility to everyone else that attends the church.
That said, there are times we have to try to keep unity in the body, and that is the most difficult thing to do. At times, we are having our own struggles, and we are caught at a bad moment. Please don't judge all pastors by the actions of one or two.