Psychotherapists and People in Recovery discussion

Sometimes i think the worst part of having bi-polar disorder is that people who don't have it think they know what it's all about...they read a book or an article,they see some celebrity on tv(who never gives a realistic view of the disorder!)or they watch some stupid tv show that sensationalizes the disorders symptoms and they think they understand everything about it and can tell me what i should and shouldn't be doing... It's frustrating and infuriating! I've had bi-polar disorder for 26 years and suffered from panic attacks for the last 6 and i can't possibily explain to someone who hasn't experienced it what it's like...i take medication,see a doctor and a therapist,but the cycle never completely goes away and people just don't understand that it's not in my control...at least not completely...i don't know how to explain it because when i try people just think i'm feeling sorry for myself or making excuses...

I know what you mean. I don't have bi-polar, but I do have ptsd and also issues with anxiety and disassociation. It sounds like you're doing what you need to do. Me too. Meds evry day, therapy every week, a psychiatrist every other month. It manages it, it doesn't make it go away.
What I hate too, is all the stuff like--cheer up, it's ok, things aren't that bad. I hate it when people say stuff like that. I think that most of the time, when people say stuff like that they are expressing their own discomfort and wanting us to stop whatever it is we're doing that supposedly "causes" that discomfort--so they'll feel better. And if we feel better, too, great, but it's not the first thing on the list. How can telling someone not to feel how they feel every help that person? I've always wondered that.