Please note! The following is informational only and not meant to be advice or a substitute for professional help.
World Bipolar Day 2018 has come and gone, but it’s not too late to shine a light on the 5.7 million adults in the U.S. who live with bipolar disorder. This common and treatable brain disorder causes intense shifts in a person’s mood, activity levels, and ability to function. Did you know that bipolar disorder, manic depression, and bipolar affective disorder are one in the same?
Unlike the ups and downs that everyone goes through individuals living with bipolar disorder experience extreme symptoms, making it difficult to function well day to day, leading to poor job or school performance, and straining relationships. Individuals may cycle between episodes of mania and depression with periods of stability in between.
The National Institute of Mental Health lists some of the symptoms characteristic of mania as a decreased need for sleep, excess energy, reckless behavior, racing thoughts, hyper-sexuality, impulsiveness, inflated sense of self, and pressured speech. Here one woman describes a metaphor for mania.
Depressive episodes may bring on feelings of hopelessness, irritability and worthlessness, deplete one’s energy and ability to experience pleasure, and can lead to social withdrawal and substance misuse. As Michael Weinberger, a contributor for The Mighty, puts it, “Depressive episodes are comparable to the world swallowing you whole and closing your ability to see around you.” Even individuals with the same diagnosis experience symptoms and the severity of symptoms differently. We usually only hear about bipolar disorder as one condition, but there are in fact four types which you can read all about here.
According to NAMI, the average age of onset is about 25, but children and adolescents, as well as older adults, can be diagnosed with bipolar disorder. More often than not, an accurate diagnosis takes years for a person to get, sometimes happening only after several misdiagnoses.
With the right supports, services, and self-management strategies people living with mental illness can live well. Treatments to help relieve symptoms usually involve a combination of psychotherapy, medication, support groups, and self-management strategies. Keeping a regular sleep schedule and routine, exercising, meditating, and finding and using creative outlets, are great ways for anyone to support their mental health, but can be especially important when managing a chronic illness like bipolar disorder. As most people will tell you, recovery is a process.
Of course, how an individual experiences a mental illness cannot be reduced to infographics like the one shown here. You can learn more about what living with bipolar disorder is like from personal accounts. Below are links to stories, information related to symptoms, treatment and recovery, and other topical resources.
On living with bipolar disorder
Overview
Information & Support
Books, Film & Humor
Articles, Stories, and Tidbits on Living with Mental Illness 