Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks.

All the different types of bipolar disorder

❒ Bipolar I Disorder — defined by manic episodes that last at least 7 days, or by manic symptoms that are so severe that the person needs immediate hospital care. Usually, depressive episodes occur as well, typically lasting at least 2 weeks. Episodes of depression with mixed features are also possible.

❒ Bipolar II Disorder — defined by a pattern of depressive episodes and hypomanic episodes, but not the full-blown manic episodes described above.

❒ Cyclothymic Disorder — defined by numerous periods of hypomanic symptoms as well numerous periods of depressive symptoms lasting for at least 2 years . However, the symptoms do not meet the diagnostic requirements for a hypomanic episode and a depressive episode.

What a manic episode looks like

⇢Feel very “up,” “high,” or elated

⇢Have a lot of energy

⇢Have increased activity levels

⇢Feel “jumpy” or “wired”

⇢Have trouble sleeping

⇢Become more active than usual

⇢Talk really fast about a lot of different things

⇢Be agitated, irritable, or “touchy”

⇢Feel like their thoughts are going very fast

⇢Think they can do a lot of things at once

⇢Do risky things, like spend a lot of money or have reckless sex

What a depressive episode looks like

⇢Feeling very sad, down, empty, or hopeless

⇢Have very little energy

⇢Have decreased activity levels

⇢Have trouble sleeping, they may sleep too little or too much

⇢Feel like they can’t enjoy anything

⇢Feel worried and empty

⇢Have trouble concentrating

⇢Forget things a lot

⇢Eat too much or too little

⇢Feel tired or “slowed down”

⇢Think about death or suicide

Episodes combined

Sometimes a mood episode includes symptoms of both manic and depressive symptoms. This is called an episode with mixed features. People experiencing an episode with mixed features may feel very sad, empty, or hopeless, while at the same time feeling extremely energized.

Treatment

Treatment helps many people even those with the most severe forms of bipolar disorder gain better control of their mood swings and other bipolar symptoms. An effective treatment plan usually includes a combination of medication and psychotherapy . Bipolar disorder is a lifelong illness. Episodes of mania and depression typically come back over time. Between episodes, many people with bipolar disorder are free of mood changes, but some people may have lingering symptoms. Long-term, continuous treatment helps to control these symptoms.

Medications generally used to treat bipolar disorder include:

❒ Mood stabilizers

❒Atypical antipsychotics

❒Antidepressants

Risk factors of taking meds

• Talk with a doctor or a pharmacist to understand the risks and benefits of the medication
• Report any concerns about side effects to a doctor right away. The doctor may need to change the dose or try a different medication.
• Avoid stopping a medication without talking to a doctor first. Suddenly stopping a medication may lead to “rebound” or worsening of bipolar disorder symptoms. Other uncomfortable or potentially dangerous withdrawal effects are also possible.

What a person with bipolar disorder looks like

A anonymous story of someone dealing with bipolar disorder

I honestly can say that up until the end of college I had no discernible signs of a mental illness. It all was jump-started during finals week of my second to last quarter of college. I was 23. I had one final exam left before spring break. I was on schedule to graduate after spring quarter.

I was second in my class in civil engineering. During finals week, a classmate met me at a bar for a pitcher of green beer. I witnessed the bartender mixing the green food coloring into the beer. The rest of what happened that day is a blur. And not a blur in the sense of, “I got drunk and blacked out,” but a blur in the sense that when I got back to the apartment, my roommate said I looked like I had thirty beers. In reality, I didn’t even finish the pitcher.

I remember feeling a rush of adrenaline and like my arms were on fire. I remember my hands shaking a lot, and a lot of anxiety for the first time in my life. I struggled through the final because I physically didn’t feel right.

The feeling continued on the drive home from Athens to Canton, for spring break. The rush of adrenaline continued, the anxiety built up and I couldn’t sit still at all. My mind was racing. The drive home took what felt like an eternity. I just wanted to get home and tell my mom what was going on and possibly go to the emergency room.

I got home and couldn’t sleep or sit still at all. The anxiety multiplied. I couldn’t even sit and watch TV. My mom and her boyfriend thought maybe the green beer I drank was possibly laced. Either way we knew something was wrong and they took me to the emergency room. I vaguely remember screaming religious statements in the crowded waiting room as I waited. I was admitted into the local psychiatric ward.

For most of the time I was in isolation I wasn’t sleeping at all. I started to have paranoid delusions of grandeur. Like, maybe I was in here because of a crime I don’t remember committing? My mind started playing tricks on me. I totally lost track of time. It felt like I was in that room for months. The only people I saw for days were the nurses and my doctor. They started giving me daily medicine but for the first couple days I remember denying it. I thought, drugs got me into this mess, how can they possibly get me out? Then, for about the fifth time a nurse told me to, once again, take my medicine, and I said no. Then she said, “Don’t you want to go home?”

Too wrap this story up heres the end

My plans for the future include volunteering part time to see if I can handle the stress of a part time job. I also will train for the mental health certified peer supporter soon — as I meet all qualifications and definitely have the lived mental health experience — which could turn into job opportunities. My overall goal is to eventually get back in the civil engineering field and continue my career. I’ve done it before so I know I can do it again with the right coping skills and supportive people around me. NAMI support groups have helped me to realize I am not alone in my recovery. I truly believe recovery is possible. My story is not over yet. I’m ready to reclaim my life.