Cheese and crackers y'all. Every person w/ bipolar disorder is not like Kanye. We are all different, with different experiences medicated & unmedicated. Mania & depressive episodes don't all look the same. You know ONE person w/ bipolar? That's just it. You know 1 person.

I know several people w/ bipolar 1 or 2. Some wanna drive fast when manic. Some don't eat or sleep for days. Some just get so anxiety-driven they can't function. Others (like myself) crave control so they clean & organize. IT. IS. DIFFERENT. FOR. EVERY. PERSON.

I am thrilled to see the SUDDEN interest & "compassion" for bipolar disorder (kinda like how everyone's become an ally for mental health during the pandemic) ... but please, stop with generalizations. They never do any good. Educate yourself. Don't rely on Access Hollywood's take

Every time a celebrity has an unmedicated episode or public bout with mania or depressive episode I just bury my head in my hands because I know it's coming. The army of bipolar experts. Or the movie/show takes with bipolar characters. Experts everywhere.

Also, bipolar disorder is not a fad or a free pass for people, much less celebrities to say anything they want or act how they want. For real people, there are real consequences to what you say/do when manic.

You crash a car. You have an affair. You spend $5000 you don't have in a day. You quit your job. You purchase a llama. These are all things I have actually known people to do while manic. All came with consequences. It sucks, y'all. This is not an easy thing to live with.

Which is why, for 99.999999999% of people who have bipolar disorder, it is uber important to stay on your meds. Yes, for some it curbs creativity (it does for me). Some hate the way it makes them feel. Some feel great and never have issues. Again 1 person equals 1 experience.

I try to remind people its a medical issue, too. It's the brain. The brain is part of the BODY, if not *the* most important part of the body. If you have a heart condition you may need medicine. If you have diabetes you may need insulin. Managing bipolar disorder is no different

Kanye has a very public audience. Most of us garden variety bipolar people with no celebrity or audience just do our thing, day in and day out. You live around us. You probably don't even know. SO... STOP EQUATING ME WITH YE, OKAY? One person = one experience. END OF RANT

One last thing (or maybe not) I'd like to point out is resources. One of my favorite friends, who has bipolar disorder, told me once that it would be cheaper for her to purchase a gun on the street than pay for her meds/therapy/psych visits each month. Think on that...

You wanna know why so many bipolar people don't take meds or get help they need? THEY CANNOT AFFORD IT. Celebrities have resources galore. The neighbor beside you, the person sitting in your pew at church (yes, we go to church) may have ZERO resources.

Want to be a real ally? Aside from just helping destigmatize things (aka, we're not all Kanye) please help us fight for resources. Health care. Affordable access to therapy, medications, and more.

Also - please, just treat us like you would any other friend/co-worker/church member/neighbor/stranger. We're people. Plain and simple. Our brains just work a little differently. Don't attach personalities or stereotypes to your interactions with us.