Friday, October 15, 2010

Side Effects Include Empathy...

“She must be off her meds...”

That phrase is uttered when some one (usually a woman) is irrationally angry, a narcissist, or a drama queen. It is said with a sneer. With contempt.

I’m not offended by the phrase. It is a joke, a colloquialism. It’s a means of expressing disdain for a person’s actions or attitude. It’s not personal.

But when I miss a dose of my medication for bipolar depression, here’s what I experience:

- Nausea. Think hangover. Think morning-sickness.

- Headache

- Flu-like body-aches

- Disturbingly vivid dreams that keep me from getting any restful sleep

- Anxiety and jitters

So when some one says “She must be off her meds...” I usually laugh. Chances are that person is just joking. Chances are the person of whom they speak is being irrational, or a narcissist, or a drama queen.

But part of me wonders if that person really is off her meds. And feels bad for them.

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