What Is Bipolar Disorder?

[Kellie]

If you suspect you suffer from any mental health disorder, it is very important that a psychiatrist or psychologist identify your symptoms and prescibe treatment(s) that will work best for you.

My name is Kellie and I have suffered with symptoms of Bipolar disorder
for as long as I can remember.
When it was finally identified and diagnosed ( much later in life),
it was very embarrassing for me to admit that I suffered from a mental illness.
The more knowledge I aquire about my disorder,
the more I realize that it is just a part of who I am
and that there are many others who have to deal with the same stuff,
and most importantly
we have absolutely nothing to feel ashamed of.
I hope you will feel comfortable to share and ask questions.
The more we discover and learn about mental health,
the better we will be able overcome our difficulties.

Some basic facts about Bipolar disorder

Bipolar disorder goes by many names: manic depression, manic-depressive disorder, manic-depressive illness, bipolar mood disorder, and bipolar affective disorder are other medical terms for the same condition.

Bipolar disorders are one of several medical conditions called depressive disorders. Depressive disorders affect the way a person's brain functions.

Bipolar involves mood swings,
going from one extreme (manic, high) to the other (depressive,low) . This is called cycling.
The cycles of Mood Swings in Bipolar Disorder can vary widely. Initially, episodes of depression and mania tend to occur closer together and more frequently. In time the interval between the extremes of mania and depression may stabilize and become longer as a part of the normal progression of the disorder.

Manic symptoms include:

·Severe changes in mood — either extremely irritable or overly silly and elated

·Overly-inflated self-esteem; grandiosity

·Increased energy

·Decreased need for sleep — ability to go with very little or no sleep for days without tiring

·Increased talking — talks too much, too fast; changes topics too quickly; cannot be interrupted

·Distractibility — attention moves constantly from one thing to the next

·Hypersexuality — increased sexual thoughts, feelings, or behaviors; use of explicit sexual language

·Increased goal-directed activity or physical agitation

·Disregard of risk — excessive involvement in risky behaviors or activities

Depressive symptoms include:

·Persistent sad or irritable mood

·Loss of interest in activities once enjoyed

·Significant change in appetite or body weight

·Difficulty sleeping or oversleeping

·Physical agitation or slowing

·Loss of energy

·Feelings of worthlessness or inappropriate guilt

·Difficulty concentrating

·Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide

There are various methods and medications used to treat Bipolar.
Your Doctor will know what will work best for you.

[pedagogue]

Thanks for the info KelKel!

-pedagogue