Quiz: How much do you know about NAMI’s perception of bipolar disorder?

Okay, boys and girls, today we’re going to have some fun. If you’re like me, you love quizzes, particularly the stupid ones in, say, Cosmopolitan that ask “How good are you in bed?” If you’re like me, you get all excited and grab a pen to do the quiz and then think, “Wait. What if I answer wrong the first time?” And then you actually rifle through drawers for a pencil, even just a weird nub that you last used for the SAT.

Today, I offer you the NAMI quiz True or False? The Top 10 Myths About Bipolar Disorder by John McManamy.

Since NAMI calls this “Top 10 Myths,” you already know that most of them will be at least partly false. But there are only three statements below that are completely false, according to NAMI. Whoever guesses correctly which three those are will get a free copy of The Letters of Vincent Van Gogh, signed by me. Ear not included.

1. Everyone has their ups and downs, so mine aren’t that serious.

2. Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder.

3. Yes, but bipolar disorder is still a mood disorder.

4. Bipolar disorder is characterized by mood swings ranging from severely depressed to wildly manic.

5. Mania is like being on top of the world—if you could only put it in a bottle and sell it.

6. Bipolar disorder is caused by a chemical imbalance of the brain.

7. Medications are all you need to combat bipolar disorder.

8. Medications don’t work for me.

9. Lower quality of life and sluggish cognition are fair trade-offs for reducing mood symptoms.

10. Once you’ve been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, you can forget about leading a normal life.

liz | 10:07 AM | Uncategorized