![]() ![]() Other symptoms can include sleep disturbances and some problems with thinking. By way of example, they may make a promise to someone while forgetting the promise in the next moment.īipolar disorder happens because a disrupted brain function causes abrupt changes in a person’s mood. As a result, they may not remember later what they said. The tendency for rapid speech during a manic phase may also make a statement seem like a lie.Īn example of this is when the person goes on talking without reflecting. When a person with bipolar disorder regularly exaggerates their stories, it may be that this is how they remember them. ![]() What seems like lies may not be lies to the person telling them. If the mania involves hallucinations or delusions, this too can seem like a lie to someone else.Ĭonsider that with heightened senses, the person experiences life more sharply. This is because they do not perceive a problem during a manic phase. People with the condition are more likely to visit a doctor if they have a depressive phase than when they are in a manic phase. This denial can make treatment a challenge. Doing so may be to avoid the stigma attached to mental illness, or someone may really believe there is nothing wrong with them. Even if you aren’t fine, the social construct demands we not burden strangers with our issues.Ī person with bipolar disorder may lie, or appear to lie, about their condition. Voicing their true feelings, says Howard, may invite criticism that people with bipolar disorder are faking, being overdramatic, or seeking attention.Ĭonsider the example of answering “I’m fine” when someone asks you how you are doing. ![]() Inside Bipolar podcast host Gabe Howard, writing on the online community BPHope website, notes that people with bipolar disorder may lie to “fit in,” because expressing their true emotions makes them seem strange to others. Susan P also notes that while she lied “to stay alive,” she also lost friends and family in the process.Ī person with bipolar disorder can experience the world differently from other people. Self-preservation combined with a desire for excitement and a belief that one is impervious to harm could increase the risk of telling a lie.īlogger Susan P, writing on the International Bipolar Foundation website, suggests that there may be “some excitement inside that our lie is believed.” Bipolar disorder may increase the chance of a person being in this situation.Īddictive tendencies are also more common among people with bipolar disorder.Ī national survey in the United States found that more than half of the people with bipolar disorder experienced addiction to drugs or alcohol at some point. If a person is in trouble, whether or not they have bipolar disorder, they may lie to cover up their wrongdoing or to convince themselves or others that they did not do anything wrong. This kind of activity can lead the person into trouble. This can lead to impulsive or hazardous behavior, such as ill-advised sexual experiences, or an uncontrolled shopping spree. Heslet notes that someone in a manic mood may believe they are immune to injury or harm. In Heslet’s case, she says the mania convinces her that it is acceptable to overreact when upset, to be excessively angry, and to say hurtful and malicious things. With psychosis, the person may genuinely believe that they are someone of great importance, or that they have friends in high places. The perceptions can appear real to the person who is experiencing them. These include hallucinations when the person may see, hear, or smell things that others do not. Some people experience psychotic symptoms with bipolar disorder. She calls these “the lies my mania tells to try and get me into trouble.” Heslet goes on to list 10 areas where she has learned to be aware. ![]() Such a tendency may stem from features of mania such as:ĭuring a manic mood, says Madelyn Heslet - who blogs about her experience with bipolar disorder on a website called The Mighty - “any healthy or realistic thought goes out of the window.” There is no clinical proof that bipolar disorder increases the frequency of lying, although people with the disorder, and their families, often report this tendency. When they repeat the facts back as they see them and that doesn’t line up with reality, it’s easy for people to assume that the person is lying. While it is important to remember that people with bipolar disorder can lie maliciously, it’s also possible that the symptoms of the illness cause people with bipolar to perceive situations differently. Share on Pinterest Ol’ga Efimova/EyeEm/Getty Images ![]()
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