My Grandmother
In this journey of discovery of my bipolar diagnosis, I have been reflecting on my grandmother and her story. She is diagnosed with bipolar disorder and has suffered from mania and depression all her life. For most of my life, my family members have just dismissed her as "crazy", "psycho" or "weak". They blame her for all of her manic actions like she has control over it. I grew up with these ideas which I am slowly unraveling. My heart now feels compassion for her instead of hatred or resentment for how her actions affect our family. My family is full of people who have mental health issues, drug issues, alcohol issues, or narcissism issues. It is funny to see how the "crazy gene" manifests in different ways along the family tree. Not a single person is unscathed. The blame, the resentment, and the trauma fester in all of our hearts towards each other. Family gatherings consist of a bunch of people who hate each other and hurt each other preten...
