Muslim, bipolar and still unmarried

Photo credit: Asim Bharwani

By Nabilah Safa

My girlfriends and I talk constantly about how difficult it is for us to find suitable husbands nowadays. “We’re amazing,” we reassure ourselves, half-jokingly, half-sincerely. “Anyone would be lucky to nab us!”

Maybe we are all amazing, but there is something a little extra that I bring to the table–I have a mental condition called Bipolar Disorder Type I. People react with surprise and skepticism when I share my disorder, brushing it off with a “Oh, but you’re so normal.” I do appear normal to those who do not know me very well (although what qualifies as “normal” anyhow?). I am sweet, kind, friendly and funny, but behind the easygoing exterior, I know all too well that my brain likes to play tricks on me, making me feel like the happiest girl in the world or the saddest. The mania episodes are incredible highs and the periods of depression can be debilitating lows. I also have to contend with panic attacks and anxiety, just another extra dash of unpredictability in the already spicy emotional cocktail.

Editor’s note: Nabilah Safa lives in Michigan and enjoys reading, writing, and baking cookies. Her views are her own. A longer version of this article originally appeared on AltMuslimah.com.