14/05/2025
Bipolar disorder is a brain-based illness. It’s not a character flaw, a bad attitude, or a “just having a rough week” thing. It’s about imbalances in brain chemicals like dopamine and serotonin. The right meds can help people regain control of their lives, improve relationships, perform better at work, and avoid self-medicating with alcohol or drugs.
As a psychiatrist, I get it—medication can be a tough topic. But let’s be real: just like someone with diabetes needs insulin, folks with bipolar disorder often need long-term medication to stay stable and sane. That’s not a weakness. That’s wisdom. That’s responsibility.
So please—for the love of mental health—stop telling people with bipolar disorder that they don't need meds, and then turning around and crying when they end up in jail, in the hospital, or God forbid, in the graveyard. And stop acting shocked when public figures—who have told y’all they have bipolar disorder—start acting out at awards shows and in real life. You can’t say “they told us” and then drag them when they do exactly what untreated mania looks like.
The right medication given at the right time of day HELPS. It helps with sleep, concentration, judgment, and mood stability. It evens out the roller coaster—the extreme highs of mania and the crushing lows of depression. It literally helps protect the brain. Untreated episodes can cause something called neurotoxicity, meaning the brain starts to deteriorate over time. So no, “just praying about it” while ditching meds isn’t enough.
Now yes, medications can come with side effects. That’s true. Mood stabilizers, antipsychotics, and especially antidepressants can backfire in someone with bipolar disorder. Some of those common antidepressants—Prozac, Zoloft, Effexor, Cymbalta—can crank up the volume on racing thoughts, irritability, insomnia, and impulsivity. Translation: the very symptoms you're trying to treat can get worse, much worse and they go for days with little sleep and are crashing out when they have bipolar disorder and are on antidepressants. (That can look like rapid cycling. That’s why I dont tend to prescribe antidepressants to people who have a diagnosis of bipolar disorder.)
This is why you need a psychiatrist—not your cousin’s best friend who watched a YouTube video—to carefully evaluate your history. We’ll look at your anxiety, your sleep, anxiety, concentration, any substance use, and design a medication plan that works for YOU. That’s not going to happen in a rushed 7-15 minute primary care visit. And please, for the love of coordination—get yourself a psychiatrist and a therapist who actually talk to each other.
I know you care. I know you mean well. But when you tell someone with bipolar disorder to “trust God and stop taking their meds,” you may be unknowingly pushing them toward some life-wrecking consequences. Let’s be clear about what untreated bipolar disorder can bring:
-Full-blown manic or depressive relapses
-Suicidal thoughts or attempts, self-cutting, self-sabotaging
-Psychosis (hearing things that aren't there, seeing things that aren't there, delusional beliefs, paranoia)
-Impulsive behaviors like overspending on shopping sprees you can't afford, risky s*x with multiple partners, and legal trouble
-Strained relationships with intimate partners, coworkers and family members from erratic moods or aggression
-Job loss or academic struggles—because concentration, judgment, and impulse control go out the window
And yes, there's something called the kindling effect—each untreated episode can make the next one worse, harder to treat, and more dangerous.
So please, stop practicing medicine without a license. And trust me, I’m not saying leave them to their own devices and watch them tank. Im just saying because exercise and prayer or a supplement worked for you, doesnt mean it will work for them.
There's nothing more gut-wrenching than knowing someone who was doing okay on their meds, got talked out of taking them, and now… they’re behind bars for something tragic—or gone too soon. Some families are left picking up the pieces, and kids are left asking why Daddy isn’t coming home.
If you’re concerned about side effects or if you feel something’s off—go with them to the doctor. Help them find one who listens. But do not encourage them to suddenly quit their meds cold turkey. You have no idea how dangerous that could be.
Just don’t.
