How Bipolar Changed My Life

In my personal life I have only distantly been affected from a case of bipolar disorder (BD). In high school, a classmate of mine had a mother who suffered from bipolar disorder and we as a class only found out about it when she committed suicide. I never really understood bipolar disorder before then, and afterwards I only understood it as the mother being very confused and constantly unhappy. In my undergraduate years and now in my beginning graduate career, I am solidifying my understanding of bipolar disorder. I think that by the accounts in the articles from Inder et al (2008) and Rusner et al (2009), as well as the videos “Sweethearts” and “Rapid Cycling” it is difficult even for those with bipolar disorder to fully understand their own condition.

. Bauer, Mark S. Overcoming Bipolar Disorder: A Comprehensive Workbook for Managing Your Symptoms & Achieving Your Life Goals. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications, 2008. Print.

And episodes are noticeably stronger, especially when depressed. For people who have bipolar and are feeling down many symptoms are similar to those that are depressed and every thought is consumed in sadness; they have feelings of worthlessness, excessive guilt, fatigue, inability to concentrate, abnormal weight gain or weight loss, insomnia or abnormally oversleeping and they may even have thoughts of suicide. When flipped to the other side maniac displaced feelings of extreme energy, restlessness and irritability they 're overly confident themselves talking fast and erratic. They have high energy and excess need for activity you need much less sleepy early, 3 hours would be more than enough. They have no self-control and spend money recklessly and they 're easily irritated when things don 't go their way. People with bipolar will display different abnormal mood changes on various intervals, for example they could be depressed for 3 to 4 months and return to their normal selves for a few months and maniac for a couple of months and then back to their normal self again. It 's not necessarily that the occurrence of both moods will take place one after the other it could be depressed normal depressed again normal again and then manic or manic first and then depressed after that. Bipolar disorder can affect anyone of any gender, age or profession, but it is most commonly found in 16 to

Mental illness has plagued human kind for as long as we have been on this earth. The science of psychology has made great strides in past century. The stigma of being mentally ill has begun to fall away and people are finally starting to get the help that they need to recover. Bipolar disorder is one illness that we have come to more fully understand. Through assistance from a psychiatrist, family and medication a patient with bipolar disorder can enter remission and live a normal life.

Someone with Bipolar Disorder can experience unpredictable changes in mood and behavior so much so that it effects the whole body, cognitive, psychological, and behavioral through anxiety distress, and even psychosis. Bipolar Disorder is characterized be irregular episodes of mania or (manic phase) and depression that lasts days to months at times and is experience could be described and may be associated with suicidal thoughts, low motivation, loss of interest, in daily activities, or high energy or feelings of euphoria as impulsivity, recklessness, and reduce need for sleep and loss of touch with reality. These behaviors leading to loss of judgment and spending sprees, becoming promiscuous, risky behaviors with drug or alcohol abuse, or even getting in trouble with the law. The opposite can be said to be true when in the depressive state that causes the person to become withdrawn completely from anyone and everything. Treatment is usually life long and often involves a combination of medications and psychotherapy for patients/someone with this disorder, along side a specialists, psychiatrist, clinical psychologists, also their primary care physician or (PCP). Several contributing factors

Don’t get me wrong bipolar disorder is not that black and white, it’s not either mania or depressive. The cycles vary in severity depending on how frequently the person cycles and how extreme the cycles are. Some people living with the disorder are more on the mania side where everything sounds like a good idea, sounds fun; I guess it could be compared to feeling like nothing can go wrong. On the other hand, most people are more on the depressive side. Some people live with both at the same time switching between the two to make mixed episodes. People living with bipolar disorder can only have a few episodes over their entire

The terms ‘manic–depressive illness’ and ‘bipolar disorder’ are comparatively recent, and date back from the 1950s and 1980s respectively. The term ‘bipolar disorder’ (or ‘bipolar affective disorder’) is thought to be less stigmatizing than the older term ‘manic–depressive illness’, and so the former has largely superseded the latter. However, some psychiatrists and some people with bipolar disorder still prefer the term ‘manic–depressive illness’ because they feel that it reflects thenature of the disorder more accurately.

Bipolar disorder has been gaining more and more attention over the last few years. With shootings on the rise, or at least the publicity of them, people are often pointing their fingers at mental diseases including bipolar disorder. An ongoing issue regarding mental illnesses, however, is the population has failed to fully understand what they truly are, the symptoms, and how to treat them.

First, I would directly ask about both sides of the bipolar spectrum – mania and depression. During my interaction with the patient, I primarily focused on the depressive side of mania, as that is the side of the bipolar disorder that the patient was currently exhibiting. The patient did not exhibit any signs of mania, and had not exhibited mania since being in the facility, so I did not focus my attention on this topic. To gain a comprehensive assessment on the patient, it would have been beneficially to at least bring up mania signs and symptoms with the patient. As stated in class, not all bipolar patients will admit to the mania symptoms, as patients tend to enjoy the increased energy and productivity levels. If I would have discussed this information with the patient, he may have noted that these symptoms directly correlate to his diagnosis. Second, after completing my assessment, I would work toward acquiring a support system for the patient, outside of the hospital. Through the conversation, I did acquire the knowledge that the patient does not have family or children nearby, but I did not gather information on support systems beyond the family. Various support systems I could look at for this patient include: Veterans, sexual abuse victims, gay men, and elders without family. Outside of the VA hospital, a veteran’s success relates to the amount of

Living with a person who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, or even being a family member who has a genuine concern for this individual’s well-being is a strenuous process. Learning how to recognize and handle disruptive behavior, understanding the symptoms, supporting the individual through potential treatment or recovery periods and assessing the overall situation in the most effective manner is a long-term and constant commitment. Thus, family members, particularly those who take on the role of caregiver are often impacted as severely, if not more so than the person who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, at least on the surface. Bipolar disorder and

There is a dark stigma surrounding mental illness in general, and bipolar disorder is no exception. According to the Mental Health Commission of Western Australia, a stigma is “a mark of disgrace that sets someone apart.” Bipolar disorder is incredibly misunderstood by society at large, which leads to this stigma, prejudice, and discrimination. In everyday conversation, the word “bipolar” is frequently used to describe how someone is feeling at that moment. If a person is sad one moment and

Bipolar disorder, previously manic depressive disorder, is a disorder that has a myriad common misconceptions surrounding it within the general public. Unless one has taken the time to research what Bipolar Disorder is/entails or is suffering from the disorder itself, knowledge about the disorder typically comes from hearsay. Before reading Kay Redfield Jamison 's novel, most of what I knew or had learned about Bipolar Disorder was from other individuals. I knew it was some form of disorder but the details eluded me. Many times you will hear teenagers say things like "Oh, she is so bipolar" when a friend shifts from happy one minute to mad the next or "The weather is so bipolar" when it shifts from sunny to raining rapidly. From this, I assumed that Bipolar Disorder had something to do with a rapid shift in moods. However, other than looking up on one occasion whether Bipolar Disorder and Manic Depressive Disorder are the same thing, I did not pay much more attention to what Bipolar Disorder was or what those suffering from the disorder dealt with on a daily basis. It was not until I came to college where we briefly covered the disorder in classes, like intro, and read Jamison 's memoir for another course that I really began to understand what Bipolar Disorder is and how it affects those who suffer from it.

Bipolar disorder is a much more serious disease than I had ever thought. Until recently, I just thought it was not being able to make up ones mind about which emotion to portray. Frequently, I used the term to describe people that I perceived as being temperamental or unstable. During my shift on the medical floor for work, I came in contact with my first true bipolar patient. When I first introduced myself to her, she was friendly and what I thought was a ‘normal’ patient. Small talk was made about where I am from, where I attend college, how long I have worked here, if I have a boyfriend, and

Bipolar disorder, or manic depressive disorder, is a disorder characterized by extreme mood changes. People with this disorder undergo unusual shifts in his or her mood, activity levels, energy and the ability to carry out daily activities (National Institute of Mental Health, n.d.). A person can go from being very outgoing and energetic to feeling irritated and worthless over a period of a few days, months, or even years. People with bipolar disorder experience “mood episodes”, represented by a drastic change in a person’s unusual mood or behavior (National Institute of Mental Health, n.d.). A manic episode he or she may experience is overexcited and overly joyful; however, someone in a