¤ Bipolar Disorder ¤

You May be Wondering: What is Bipolar Disorder?

November 14th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed

While most people have heard about manic depression, which is also known as bipolar disorder, you may be wondering what is bipolar disorder. You may also wonder what it is like to live with this mental illness that is caused by a chemical imbalance in your brain that causes severe mood swings. These mood swings can vary from severe depression to wild mania. It is believed that approximately 2 million people in the United States are affected by this disorder, but this figure is probably way off because many people go undiagnosed for various reasons.

What ss Bipolar Disorder and its Symptoms?

There are 2 main phases of bipolar that you need to know about in order to understand what is bipolar disorder. First there is the depression phase that is characterized by feelings of sadness, anxiety, hopelessness, guilt, worthlessness and helplessness. These feelings can cause you to lose interest in your hobbies and activities, have decreased energy and feel exhausted all of the time. Of course, this can also cause you to have difficulty concentrating, remembering and making decisions. In very severe cases, thoughts of death and even suicide attempts may occur.

Quick Facts about Bipolar Disorder

Most symptoms don’t emerge until early adulthood, although childhood cases aren’t uncommon.

Bipolar Disorder is the 6th leading cause of disability in the world.

You may be eligible for disability benefits if you have bipolar disorder. Click here for more information.

Secondly, there is the manic phase, which is characterized by excessive elation wherein you feel as though you are on top of the world and even invincible. You may also become unusually irritable, find that you do not need as much sleep, talk more, have racing thoughts, more desire for sex, make poor judgments and act inappropriately in social settings.

What is Bipolar Disorder and How do You Live with it?

It can be very difficult to live with bipolar disorder. While many people will try to tell you “snap out of it,” they simply do not really understand what is bipolar disorder. These people do not understand that bipolar disorder is an illness that must be treated and accepted. It is not anyone’s fault and the added judgment and stigma that society adds on to this illness only makes it all that much more difficult to live with it. Many people simply do not understand what is bipolar disorder and the 2 phases that it has. In the depression phase many people find that it is nearly impossible to get out of bed and if you can get out of bed you may find that you are unable to do anything productive until you begin to move into the manic phase. Once you do move into the manic phase you will find that you are not only extremely productive, but that you are also impulsive, reckless, irresponsible and dangerous. Therefore, people really do need to learn and understand what is bipolar disorder so that they can be more accepting of those who do suffer from this illness.

We certainly hope you’ve found this information useful. Please make sure and check back often as new information is always being added.

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Tags: bipolar disease, bipolar symptoms, bipolar disorder, bipolar depression, what is bipolar disorder