Up/Down

As a bipolar individual I found this film very offensive. The repetitive message of the "documentary" is basically "living with someone with bipolar disorder is hard" and "bipolar people get really depressed and that's hard to be around" without taking a look at the perspective of the actual bipolar individual.In the introduction random people are surveyed about what they think about bipolar disorder. Not only is the way those individuals refer to "them" as though bipolar people are a different, more infantile version of a human, the various misconceptions espoused about bipolar disorder, for example that it is caused by hormone imbalance, are never evaluated, explained, or corrected. Nothing new is revealed about the disorder and the actual experiences of bipolar people is barely discussed. For example, the topic of what it is like to stay in a mental institution (aka "hospital") is avoided regardless of the fact that it is a terrifying experience undergone by many bipolar individuals who are locked up and treated at the same time as a convicted prisoner, retarded child, and senile senior by staff and doctors alike. Rather, the bipolar individuals interviewed are basically apologizing for their disorders and continuously taking accountability for their issues. On this note, the contribution of traumatic events to bipolar episodes is only barely mentioned and is not discussed. Overall this film is not informative in any way and serves to perpetuate stereo- types, misunderstandings, and most of all stigma.