Please welcome our new blogger, Elle!

Elle McCoy is the name. Bipolar awareness is my aim. I hail from a town in Louisiana small enough to only contain six red-lights, but big enough to house a Super Walmart (a girl is allowed some bragging rights). Our three, town commodities are corn, cotton and catfish – alliterations were all the rage growing up. To this day, the pronunciation of “wasp” is an inconceivable feat; it ends up sounding more like “wawst”. This should give the readers some indication of how detestable my Southern drawl is. I have been an official member of the bipolar community since the age of sixteen.

I graduated college with a Bachelor’s Degree in Speech Communication. I realized early on that mania can be incredibly beneficial in a field that promotes rampant chatter and exposed expression. I minored in Art History for two very specific reasons: I found the psychological reasoning behind an artist’s work utterly fascinating and I have absolutely no talent, so creating masterpieces of my own was not an option. In Fall 2013, I will begin classes towards my second bachelor’s degree. In the years to come, I have every intention of adding a master’s degree to my wall of framed diplomas. Professionally, I make my living in the museum realm. Existentially, I am constantly on the search…

Random Factoids:
• I am a McCoy of the Hatfields and McCoys.
• My only form of aerobic exercise is dancing in front of the mirror for at least an hour each night.
• I read the dictionary for fun – to me, it’s a stone-cold blast!
• My biggest dream would be to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (and graduate with Honors).
• I was once told by a psychic that kiwi was my mystical fruit.
• I am terrified of planes, but have traveled around Europe twice.
• Raphael is my favorite Ninja Turtle – I find his rebellious nature intoxicatingly attractive (same goes for homosapiens, as well as reptiles).
 

BLOG:Stigma – a mark of disgrace or infamy; a stain or reproach, as on one's reputation.

A stigma can be associated with the actual truth or one’s ridiculous notion. Whether true or false, it has been my experience that they are (more often than not) unflattering or downright degrading. To be fair, there are moments of ignorance towards the subject. I do not mean “ignorance” in the derogatory sense, just that a person simply has no understanding of the disorder. However, my hyper-sensitivity kicks in when one makes flippant remarks about someone “most likely” being bipolar – there is a simple explanation for my impassioned state… I am bipolar. I am sure even the most novice-like detectives could have arrived at that conclusion – this being a bipolar blog and all. (If you are shooting for a blog about a horse, might I suggest something along the lines of Quarter Horse Quarterly.) Segueing into what makes me bucking mad are comments like, “I talked to Howie yesterday and he was in the worst mood. Then I saw him today and he was whistling an Adele song. He must be bipolar.” If I am at a restaurant and the woman next to me seems nervously rushed to make a decision between the baked ziti or lasagna, I do not throw a breadstick at her and declare, “If I would have known you were bringing your Generalized Anxiety Disorder to the restaurant, I would have suggested pizza!” Having a mental illness, physical disability or debilitating disorder is not fun or there for entertainment value… that’s what theme parks and movies are for. If mental illness did try to make its debut in those realms, it would be something along these lines: “Step right up, folks! Tickets to ride the Manic Mood Swings are only three dollars!” or “George Lucas’s new film, Adventures in Agoraphobia, got really bad reviews… mainly because no one left their homes to see it.” I will admit Arachnophobia was fairly notable in its day, but who doesn’t love Jeff Daniels.

These are very serious ailments that have derailed many lives. I am a highly-functioning, bipolar female. I have been fighting for 28 years and have no intentions of giving up. There are too many fabulous shoes to be bought and I haven’t even started Game of Thrones. Lucky as I am, there are some days when my thoughts race more than Dale Earnhardt, Jr., but I am armed with the knowledge that this is all a part of being bipolar. Bipolar does not define me and I am determined to not let it control or destroy me. It is this blatant stubbornness that prompted me to start blogging for the International Bipolar Foundation. I no longer want to stay closeted about a part of myself that came into this life with me. It is a part of what makes me who I am; I think I am pretty fantastic. I’ve grown stronger because of the struggle. “I am bipolar, see me soar!” (when I’m in a manically high phase) and I suppose “I am bipolar, sorry to be a bore!” (when I’m in a depressive low phase). Either way, I’m letting my Mental Illness Flag fly! Our community should start a clothing line… and I don’t mean an array of fashionable straitjackets.
Bipolar is not sexy. In fact, it’s about as attractive to someone as a cold sore would be. I would also not list mania as one of my “special skills” on my resume. I signed on to share an entertaining truth about living with the disorder. I never was a debutante in the traditional sense, so I suppose this is my non-traditional coming out party. In truth, the prospect of being open about such a personal matter is terrifying. When anything becomes public knowledge, it can be used as ammo against you. I made the decision knowing that certain ramifications would be involved. Will prospective employers not hire me if they hear the “ugly” truth? From now on, will every normal reaction (like anger, sadness or frustration) be automatically attributed to my condition? These are very real fears, but they are fears for someone with bipolar who is or isn’t spotlighting them on an international blog. We all have demons. We are all unjustly judged and always will be. Life is not for the faint of heart. I suppose I could have written under some clever pseudonym… I always did enjoy an alter ego (it’s so Batman and Clark Kent).

Alas, that thought came and went, like the need to wear blue eye shadow or try roller blading. I would be perpetuating the stigma that someone with bipolar should feel ashamed or be locked up like a rabid animal. I am frequently selfish, a diva at heart, country as a turnip green, still in love with Taylor Hanson and a firm believer that mayonnaise should be outlawed… but a coward, I am not. I know that I will not be shifting the universe with my stunning repartee, but if one person changes their opinion or feels less alone… I’ve done enough.
For the readers out there, make the decision today to fight. Your best defense is stay well-informed about this disorder. You are not alone in this. As Randy Newman would say, “You’ve got a friend in me...”