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The fact that this question even needs to be asked tells me a lot about the world we live in today. In this society of so called tolerance and acceptance, mental health issues are still taboo. Any other kind of disease or disability is acceptable. Just don't have, or I should qualify this by saying ADMIT to having any kind of mental issues. One can receive sympathy for anything from alcoholism to drug addiction. Acceptance of treatment for these things garners praise and applause. Being on medication for a mental disorder such as bipolar dooms some people to a lifetime of judgment and second guessing by the public. This is wrong on so many levels. Bipolar disorder mothers can and do make great parents if they are addressing their problems with the appropriate medications.

My grandmother was bipolar. Back in the days when she was raising her children people with bipolar disorder were often institutionalized and not given much hope for recovery. I recall stories my mother has told me about how difficult it was growing up in a household like this. What one has to understand though is that for the most part my grandmother was not receiving medications appropriate for her condition.

Motherhood is stressful, no doubt. It is a non-stop twenty four hour a day job. Many people are unable to handle it. A mother who is brave enough to acknowledge her condition and get help for it is a hero in my book. Unfortunately, in many cases, she will be criticized for the remote possibility that she may endanger her children or neglect them due to her bipolar condition. The truth is a bipolar mother who is receiving appropriate treatment for her disorder is probably more competent than the majority of 'normal' mothers on any given day.

Bipolar women who are mothers face challenges that's for sure. Fact is, other than their disorder they face the same challenges as the rest of us. They are not always perfect, but who among us is? Accept them for what they are: mothers who love their children and are willing to fight through anything to accomplish their goals.

Learn more about this author, Renee Lash.
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