TheChosenOne
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I've seen a lot of documentaries and articles about this disorder but they are never in depth. I hope this post is elaborative enough to really understand the disorder. I think this belongs on this forum since some people here seem to suffer from the disorder.
Bipolar disoder is a mood disorder which is characterized by the alternation between overactivity and underactivity. It causes unusual shifts in mood, energy and activity levels. Symptoms of bipolar disorder are different from general mood swings that everyone experiences. Depression is unipolar because it only has one side, bipolar disorder has 2 sides.
People who have hypomania may not recognize these periods and will be convinced they have a soft form of depression which comes and goes. During the period of hypomania, the person may just strike as more social and outgoing or a little bit 'crazy' which makes it more difficult to diagnose.
During an episode of psychosis, one might for example belief that they are very successful or popular or have religious experiences like communication with a higher intelligence. Psychosis is very severe and requires hospitalization. Psychosis is not all that common.
Someone with bipolar can have mixed episodes, in which the person has rapid alternating moods such as sadness and euphoria at the same time. The main feeling during a mixed episode is high irritability, agitation and impatience. Some people refer it to as having high energy, but low mood.
The severity of bipolar disorder can change over time altough that doesn't happen all that often.
People with bipolar disorder usually have a disturbed sleep pattern. It's very typical during manic episodes to feel energetic, even after a few hours of sleep, while during depressive episodes the person has a lack of energy which is not resolved by a good night sleep. Some people don't sleep for a few days during a manic episode. Another sleeping pattern that can occur is delayed sleep phase syndrome. These people generally fall asleep some hours after midnight and have difficulty waking up in the morning. This is sometimes referred to as a 'social jet lag'.
Bipolar disorder is sometimes misdiagnosed as autism or borderline personality disorder since they have overlapping symptoms.
People with bipolar disorder are usually underperformers, have damaged relationships and have a low amount of friends. Mainly because their disorder is unpredictable and they also have other ideas about which activities are exciting. Most 'regular' activities might come over as boring especially during depressive episodes. (During manic episodes, suddenly everything seems interesting.)
The average onset of bipolar disorder is 22 years and occurs equally in males and females, although females tend to seek treatment much faster. Males may see the disorder as a weakness.
There is a connection between bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and anxiety disorders.
There is a strong correlation between bipolar disorder and gambling, addictions and substance abuse, especially alcohol (which is used to slow them down or relieve anxiety) and cocaine (which induces the feeling of grandiosity). About 50% become dependent on alcohol.
The spending behaviors of someone with bipolar increases the risks of debt accumulation.
There is no cure for bipolar disorder, only 'symptom management'.
Any substance that increase mood can trigger a manic episode. This can be drugs like marijuana or cocaine, but also antidepressants or methylation supplements.
A major depressive episode in a bipolar disorder is more severe than in a unipolar disorder.
The mortality rate of bipolar disorder is 15%.
Famous people with bipolar disorder (to name a few): Catherine Zeta-Jones, Amy Winehouse, Mel Gibson, Emilie Autumn, Kurt Cobain, Robin Williams, Rowan Atkinson, Jim Carey and Stephen Fry.
The last one made a documentary about the disorder. The cases here are rather severe.
It is hard to diagnose the condition in children, although there are some symptoms that can be looked out for.
It's a general perception that people with bipolar disorder have more talent in art and science. This may be partially true. A lot of comedians and musicians have bipolar disorder. Those who score good on science and especially mathematics seem to have a much higher risk (a 12 fold) of developping the condition.
Bipolar disoder is a mood disorder which is characterized by the alternation between overactivity and underactivity. It causes unusual shifts in mood, energy and activity levels. Symptoms of bipolar disorder are different from general mood swings that everyone experiences. Depression is unipolar because it only has one side, bipolar disorder has 2 sides.
Loose paraphrase from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bipolar_disorderThe periods of elevated mood are also known as mania. Depending on the severity of bipolar disorder, these periods can vary from hypomania, which is a soft form of mania, normal mania and psychosis, which is characterized by very distorted beliefs about the world and a detachment from reality. A period of mania usually triggers a period of depression. The severity of the depression depends on the severity of the manic episodes, although it is possible to have severe depressive episodes without having a minor manic episode.
This is why bipolar disorder used to be called manic depression.
Loose transcription from https://youtu.be/HByl6pCGEpsThe basic idea behind depression in bipolar disorder is the fact that the person's thinking is slowed down. Because of that, the person has less to say, is less expressive and has poor eye contact. Someone in a depressed state doesn't have the energy to persue the future and their vision of the future is empty. The person also has difficulty accessing information, which doesn't mean that the person has lost their memories, they just can't readily access it. The person has less interest in the world around them and feels useless with low self confidence. What is remarkable is the fact that there may be feelings of physical pain during these periods. Possibly 25% of people who have fibromyalgia (a condition which is characterized by chronic muscle and joint pain) have bipolar disorder. Some people experience a depressive episode as anxiety and may think they are just very anxious. Before and after a depressive episode, the person often experiences anxiety or has anxious dreams or nightmares.
During periods of (hypo)mania, the exact opposite happens. The result is that the person has lots of energy and ideas, jumps from one subject to another, may be impatient and has an impaired judgement. The person feels very euphoric and creative. During this period, multiple activities and projects are engaged at the same time, which they might regret once the manic episode is over. These activities may include dare-devil activities as well as spending a lot of money or overall risky and impulsive behavior. People with bipolar have a hard time finishing projects or holding a job. Impaired judgement can lead to saying things that are inappropriate and might offence or hurt other people.
People who have hypomania may not recognize these periods and will be convinced they have a soft form of depression which comes and goes. During the period of hypomania, the person may just strike as more social and outgoing or a little bit 'crazy' which makes it more difficult to diagnose.
Someone with bipolar can have mixed episodes, in which the person has rapid alternating moods such as sadness and euphoria at the same time. The main feeling during a mixed episode is high irritability, agitation and impatience. Some people refer it to as having high energy, but low mood.
The severity of bipolar disorder can change over time altough that doesn't happen all that often.
People with bipolar disorder usually have a disturbed sleep pattern. It's very typical during manic episodes to feel energetic, even after a few hours of sleep, while during depressive episodes the person has a lack of energy which is not resolved by a good night sleep. Some people don't sleep for a few days during a manic episode. Another sleeping pattern that can occur is delayed sleep phase syndrome. These people generally fall asleep some hours after midnight and have difficulty waking up in the morning. This is sometimes referred to as a 'social jet lag'.
Loose transcription from https://youtu.be/O3m7xozqqbAThere are a few different types of bipolar disorder. With type I, the person would have true mania and major depression. This type can include psychosis. With type II, the person would have hypomania and a 'minor' depression. Type II is much more common than type I. Besides type I and type II, there is cyclothymia which is a more chronic but milder form of bipolar disorder and is characterized by short cycles of swings between depression and hypomania. It's not uncommon that cyclothymia evolves in type I or type II.
Bipolar disorder is sometimes misdiagnosed as autism or borderline personality disorder since they have overlapping symptoms.
People with bipolar disorder are usually underperformers, have damaged relationships and have a low amount of friends. Mainly because their disorder is unpredictable and they also have other ideas about which activities are exciting. Most 'regular' activities might come over as boring especially during depressive episodes. (During manic episodes, suddenly everything seems interesting.)
The average onset of bipolar disorder is 22 years and occurs equally in males and females, although females tend to seek treatment much faster. Males may see the disorder as a weakness.
There is a connection between bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and anxiety disorders.
Loose transcription from https://youtu.be/HByl6pCGEpsThe sibling of an identical twin who has bipolar disorder has about a 70% chance of also developping the disorder, even if they are raised in totally different environments, which means that the cause of the disorder is mainly genetics. Another important factor is nutrition.
Bipolar disorder is unlikely to be caused by trauma.
There is a strong correlation between bipolar disorder and gambling, addictions and substance abuse, especially alcohol (which is used to slow them down or relieve anxiety) and cocaine (which induces the feeling of grandiosity). About 50% become dependent on alcohol.
The spending behaviors of someone with bipolar increases the risks of debt accumulation.
There is no cure for bipolar disorder, only 'symptom management'.
Any substance that increase mood can trigger a manic episode. This can be drugs like marijuana or cocaine, but also antidepressants or methylation supplements.
A major depressive episode in a bipolar disorder is more severe than in a unipolar disorder.
The mortality rate of bipolar disorder is 15%.
Famous people with bipolar disorder (to name a few): Catherine Zeta-Jones, Amy Winehouse, Mel Gibson, Emilie Autumn, Kurt Cobain, Robin Williams, Rowan Atkinson, Jim Carey and Stephen Fry.
The last one made a documentary about the disorder. The cases here are rather severe.
It's a general perception that people with bipolar disorder have more talent in art and science. This may be partially true. A lot of comedians and musicians have bipolar disorder. Those who score good on science and especially mathematics seem to have a much higher risk (a 12 fold) of developping the condition.
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