Bipolar Disorder: Over the Top and Below the Norm

A good friend of mine who has bipolar disorder and I were talking about the ups and downs of bipolar disorder and I said, “Up sort of implies something good and down implies something bad. It’s not like that with bipolar disorder. Mania is just as ‘bad’ and as dangerous as depression. You’ve been in the hospital with mania and depression- and my mania – even though it’s euphoric has actually wrecked my life just as much as the depression.“
So, I decided that I need another way to describe the illness that shows how both the up and the down are ‘bad.’ I came up with over the top and below the norm. Some people have trouble with the word normal- I don’t. I know that I’m not normal when I get depressed or manic! I can compare myself to the millions of people around the world without the illness. When I get manic I go over the top in my emotions, actions and thoughts. ‘Life is great! I’m a genius! Nothing can hurt me! I am superwoman! I can drive 90 miles an hour!’ When I’m depressed, I am below the norm. ‘I’m a worthless piece of trash that belongs in the gutter. I want to die so that I don’t feel this pain anymore. I will be like this forever and there is no hope.’ It’s the same dangerous language- it’s just two directions away from normal! This is just my opinion.. or course!
Julie