Lynn Rivers and Mental Illness in Politics

SOURCE: Washtenaw Voice

As the twenty-first century has progressed, the normalization of mental health conversations has as well. Depression and anxiety are now words most people are familiar with, whether it be because they face the symptoms of one or both, or because of how often they are mentioned within everyday jargon. Still, there is an incredibly long way to go in order to achieve true acceptance of mental illness within traditional society. The world of politics is especially archaic when it comes to its treatment of those who live with mental health concerns. 

In the political sphere, mental illness is often seen as a vulnerability, which is a harmful assumption to make. It is incredibly true that living with mental illness is not easy, and that it can have devastating impacts on people’s lives. However, a mental disorder should not be seen as a sign of weakness or incompetence, but rather an unfortunate side effect of tragically perfect genetic and environmental conditions. Around 26% of American adults suffer from a diagnosable mental illness within a given year. If these disorders truly made every person suffering from them inefficient, we would be living in a country lacking one fourth of its people. In fact, many people with mental health issues go on to lead successful and fulfilling lives. One example of such a person is Lynn Rivers, the first openly bipolar member of the United States Congress. 

Bipolar disorder tends to be misunderstood, with many seeing those who have it as unstable lunatics unwilling to control their own emotions. In reality, bipolar disorder involves “moods [ranging] from periods of extremely “up,” elated, irritable, or energized behavior (known as manic episodes) to very “down,” sad, indifferent, or hopeless periods (known as depressive episodes)”. There are also multiple types of bipolar disorder, making these sweeping generalizations even more illogical. Additionally, this condition can be treated, typically through anticonvulsants, antipsychotics, or more general mood stabilizers. Bipolar disorder is not a death sentence. It is simply a facet of someone’s life.

Lynn Rivers opened up about her battle with bipolar disorder on a radio show in 1994, when she was running for Congress. Looking back on this moment, one can see how much of a risk this was. Rivers was opening herself up to scrutiny for her mental illness, a task only made harder by the fact that she is a woman. Women in politics are notoriously deemed too “emotional” and “unstable”, a sentiment that is untrue. It also is not quite the insult those who hurl it think it is, as having emotions, especially as a politician, is always a good thing. Incredibly enough, Lynn Rivers won her bid for Congress, despite, or perhaps because of her admittance. By opening this door for others to express their own struggles with mental illness, Rivers did her part to introduce the normalization of these types of discussions. She also taught others that hiding something this intrinsic to one’s lifelong experience helps nobody. 

Almost every person has dealt and/or deals with some sort of mental health crisis. And thankfully, the increased acceptance of those who have mental disorders is making it easier to create a sense of community around these concerns. However, this does not mean that we have reached anywhere near the point of total equality for all with certain conditions. In the past, I have been told that sharing details of my own mental illness in my writing could affect my future career and job prospects. Even in this article, I fear my own honesty could come back to haunt me later in life. Still, when I look at Lynn Rivers, I see a trailblazer, an inspiration, and a guiding light towards the person and world I would like to both be and see.