Just What We Need - Someone "Acting" Bipolar For The Viewing Audience

Let's face facts; bipolar disorder is a complex disease that affects each and every person in a unique way. A large percentage of those who suffer from the associated symptoms go through life with their illness undetected, and thus experience no stigmaic discrimination. Some may hide their symptoms, accepting the label given by friends and family as "odd" or "quirky". And, though a smaller percentage, some are completely enveloped by the disease, and the life they have is completely controlled by the symptoms.

When someone attempts to portray a person who is bipolar, at the very best they can only act as one person with one form of the disorder. What level of mental illness will she chose to represent through her character? Will she be Bipolar I or II? Will her friends us her mood swings to their advantage? Will she see a psychiatrist or a therapist? Will she be medicated and, if so, will she take her meds? Will she ever be arrested or hospitalized? If she has ECT, will the procedure be shown as the positive, effect treatment of today, or will it be depicted a hostile and diabolical, like what happened to Jack in "Cuckoo's Nest"?

We don't know how this illness will be portrayed by this actress through this character. Just because an issue is being represented doesn't mean that it is being represented well. Placing the awareness and understanding of bipolar disorder with people who know nothing about it, yet will be presenting it to millions of people is wrong. I don't think that you'd like that, either.

I pray that any characterization of a person with mental illness is done in a way that explains away the mischaracterisations, and gives people a better, more accurate understanding. I also pray that this actress portrays her character well, but I can't put any trust in this happening.

Your right..there are too many aspects to our Disorder.  Is she going to gain 50 pounds from the medication they put her on?  Is she going to go through Insomina, and have to take sleeping pills?  Better yet, will she go days, weeks without sleep?  Walking around looking like the living dead from the dark circles.  Will she loose all her friends once they find out she has a mental disorder? 

You are right on ... hey, I'd watch if she would have ECT as part of her therapy; or better yet, have her spend ALL of her own money on filling a library with hundreds of books that she will never read (then she could be like me, a self-avowed bibliomane), and then wake up one day and realize that she has spent thousands of $ that she doesn't have.Then she could repeat this over and over through the years, convinced that "this time she really needs the books". You know, maybe you and I should sign on as technical advisers, or maybe actually play this part. After all, it would be much easier to teach a MI person to act than it would be to teach an actor to accurately portray a MI person, right?

God bless,

Winston C. Smith Sr.

Class of 1984

this is Hollywood and a young pretty thing on a hit re-make show isn't going to be shown portraying a real person with Bipolar.  That is, gaining 50 lbs, not being able to get off the couch most days, taking 5-15 different meds just to remain in a seated position, etc...

no folks

this is Hollywood and Hollywood will likely, at some point, portray her to the extreme of what "they" think one with Bipolar has which is most likely the sterotypical images most of society holds.

I choose not to watch.  I didn't watch the first 90210.

Someone doing research is more likely someone who did maybe 1 hour of reading, if any.  Maybe she went online.  Maybe she saw this website.  What ya think?  

Someone keep us up to date as to how this character portrays one with Bipolar. 

excuse me... "keep us up to date as to how this actor is going to portray someone with Bipolar"... dagnabit the frigging drugs getting my words all twisted about... geesh