For #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth I’d like to touch on some terms that I often seen tossed around loosely and improperly on twitter and other social media in a short, 5 part thread. I used the DSM-5 for my information (1/5)

1. Antisocial: Seen online in the context of “not liking to be around others” or “wanting to stay home”. Antisocial Personality Disorder is when someone ‘habitually and pervasively disregards the rights and considerations of others’ and is often tied with criminal behaviors (2/5)

2. Bipolar: I see this used to describe rapid mood swings when this is often not the case. Only 10-20% of people with BPD have mood cycling more than 4x a year. There are also 3 types of BPD, bipolar 1, bipolar 2, and cyclothymic disorder! They are worth looking up. (3/5)

Depressed: seen online in contexts of sudden sadness/bad days. Clinical depression is diagnosed by diminished pleasure/interest and depressed mood of 2 or more weeks + 5 of 9 other major symptoms (e.g. changes in sleep/weight/appetite, fatigue, thoughts of suicide, others) (4/5)

Let’s work on using these terms appropriately as not to belittle the individuals experiencing these conditions. Let’s support and help those who cannot help themselves. It’s okay to not be okay, and you are loved even when you feel like you don’t love yourself