Argument of Fact

In my argument of fact I hope to clear the misconceptions of Bipolar Disorder. We live in a society today that generally seems to perceive Bipolar Disorder as "craziness". I feel like when someone mentions Bipolar Disorder, or any emotional disorder for that matter, people automatically assume that the person in question is in control of how they act and feel but choose to display symptoms out of laziness. The idea that people should "just stop being sad" when they are experiencing depression is a common thought for the general public. In my experience living with Bipolar Disorder I've found that people don't necessarily think this way out of spite, but are instead misinformed about the severity of the condition. I hope to clear away as much stigma as I can to help better inform the public about the basic ins and outs of Bipolar Disorder and that we are capable of living a life without falling into the label of "psycho".

I'm not sure that I'm providing any "new" information per se, but information that isn't known to the general public. The only people that seem to be educated on mental or emotional disorders, like Bipolar Disorder, are the ones that have either been diagnosed or the ones caring for them. It's a stretch to assume that every person should know everything about every disorder, but it's not impossible to think that everyone could obtain at least enough knowledge to respect and understand that disorders of the brain are real issues and not to be thrown out as "they just aren't trying hard enough".

The issues surrounding Bipolar Disorder seem to be unknown in the sense that people don't know they are doing anything when they make assumptions or judge someone based on a diagnosis alone. It's also fairly apparent, at least to me, that throwing the word "bipolar" around has in a sense almost become like using the word "retarded" out of context. People don't think they are in the wrong because it doesn't feel wrong. Our society is so misinformed that most people go uncorrected when they use the word "bipolar" in a negative or derogatory sense.

My hypothesis is that, with the right amount of straightforward information, I can educate my audience in the realities of Bipolar Disorder. I hope to remove stigma while simultaneously giving them a glimpse into the life of someone with Bipolar Disorder. I will use facts such as percentages of how many people are actually dealing with Bipolar Disorder and how many go untreated because they are afraid of the stigma surrounding it. The fact that one in 22 people will be diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder tends to surprise most people, and I hope to change that. I will also address the issue of how imperative it is that we remove this stigma by revealing the facts of how many people with this disorder fail to ever live a "normal" productive life. By showing the numbers and results of experiments done specifically to observe stigma and life after and before diagnosis, I hope to make the situation more real and tangible to the audience. Lastly, after I bring the hidden but easily teachable realities of Bipolar Disorder into the light, I hope to educate my audience on the treatment of the disorder and how they may be able to help.

The facts I still need are less apparent to me currently, because I've had no difficulty finding the facts I have in the present. I'm at a point where I have all the facts that I've sought to find so I'm not looking for anything specific. I understand that there are a significant amount of facts that I still lack that may be appropriate for my argument but I'm not quite sure what they are or how they'll be presented. One fact I may seek out is rise the or fall of how many people have been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder over the last ten to fifteen years. Is it more common now, and if so, why?