Well Hello Bloggers,
We are back for another blog post and today’s entails mental health. Today will be about being bipolar, what it means to be diagnosed with bipolar, the types of treatment they recommend, and some other odds and ends. If you know someone who is bipolar, or if you, yourself has been diagnosed with being bipolar, do not be ashamed of it, and do not feel as though every case is the same. I realize this information will be vague, so please fill us in with more information, experiences, stories, etc in the comment section and share this post with others so I can help bring awareness.
What does being bipolar mean?
Good question! The bipolar disorder is having mood swings that range from depressive lows to maniac highs. In other words, going from a very low state to a very high state in your moods. Each individual has some differences.
Fun Fact:
There are different forms of bipolar: bipolar 1 disorder, bipolar 2 disorder, cyclothymic disorder. Now this is 2017 and things might have changed, but from my knowledge these are the main groups but this doesn’t mean there are not others written somewhere.
Bipolar 1 disorder:
Maniac episodes that last atleast seven days and/or manic episodes that are severe enough to have a person end up in the hospital. Some people will experience depressive episodes as well that can last up to two weeks.
Bipolar 2 disorder:
A pattern of depressive episodes and hypomanic episodes but NOT full blown maniac episodes.
Cyclothymic Disorder:
Numerous periods of hypomanic episodes and depressive symptoms that are known to last two years (and 1 year for children and adolescents).
Signs and Symptoms:
- Manic episode (signs/symptoms)
- Feeling very “high” or elated
- Usually has a lot of energy
- Increased activity levels
- “jumpy” or “wired”
- sometimes have issues with sleeping
- Talk really fast
- could be agitated, irritable or touchy
- feel as though their thoughts are going really fast
- Usually believe they can manage a lot of things at once
- Do risky things that aren’t always wise decisions
2. Depressive episode (signs/symptoms)
- Feeling of sadness, empty or loneliness
- very little energy
- decreased activity levels
- may sleep too much or too little
- don’t feel as though they can enjoy anything
- feeling much worry
- tend to forget things a lot
- Eating too much or too little
- feeling tired
- sometimes thinks of death or suicide
Fun Fact:
It possible for some to have symptoms of both, called “mixed features” (they may feel very sad and hopeless but at the same time have tons of energy).
Many people with bipolar disorder may even have mood swings that are less extreme and can still manage to function, feel good, highly productive (the person may not feel as if anything is wrong) but normally family and friends can see the difference in their moods and actions. If these people don’t seek help they could end up with severe mania or depression.
Some have bipolar along with other mental health conditions and some have symptoms of other illnesses, so it makes it difficult for one to diagnose someone with this disorder. People with bipolar disorder are said to be at higher risk of thyroid disease, migraine headaches, heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.
There are cases where someone with bipolar may have psychotic symptoms as well (hallucinations, and/or delusions).
Anxiety is usually also diagnosed with those with bipolar disorder.
A higher chance of possible substance abuse, perform poorly at work/school, relationship problems.
Possible Risk Factors:
- Genetics
- Family history
- brain structure and functioning
Treatment possibilities:
- Medications
- Psychotherapy
- Electroconvulsive therapy
Keep in mind that bipolar disorder is a life long illness. Also remember to speak with a specialist and/or doctor who can be of more assistance to yourself and others. Thank you for reading!
Your Fitness Blogger,
Shay-lon xoxo
Be the best version of you 
It’s important to share this because the more we talk about mental health the more we break down the stigma. With that said, I’m pretty sure it’s “manic” and not “maniac.”
LikeLiked by 1 person
You will remind me about my errors on all social media outlets until I do it, eh? I find that interesting but thank you for the corrections.
Also yes, I like think more people are open minded and will share this post but hey can’t do anything but hope!
LikeLiked by 1 person
That kind of makes me sound like some crazy stalker however, from my perspective, I’m really just commenting on the blog. But then you posted it on Twitter without fixing it so…
We have a young adult living with us right now and she has bi-polar. We’re learning lots but one thing I already knew was that she wouldn’t want us to say she’s having a “maniac” episode. She’s not an evil villain.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hahaha well when you put it that way..
LikeLike
Interesting
LikeLiked by 1 person
You think so Bella?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well i dont know that much about bipolar .
LikeLike
This was so interesting to read! I remember learning about bipolar more then an year ago and it was one of the most interesting illnesses I’ve learnt about. Unfortunately a lot of people with bipolar are often misdiagnosed because bipolar symptoms are similar to other illnesses like depression (that’s why it used to be called manic-depression) and I think spreading awareness about the disease will help a lot of people out there. Another problem we learnt about concerning bipolar is that it’s very hard to treat with medicine because you have to take different medicines depending on whether you’re having a manic episode or depressive episode and sometimes the medicine you’re taking for the manic episode can give you depression and vice versa. There are of course people who the medicine really works well for but for a lot of people it’s hard to know the right amount and right types of medicine to take and it can take even years of adjusting medications to finally find the right balance.
LikeLiked by 1 person
PoojaG,
I figured this would be an interesting read for you since you are into psychology and what not. I realize the problem with diagnosing bipolar, and know that meds are an uphill battle for most people. While I am not a fan of medications many times, I know this is one of those things it is probably better to be medicated and hope for the best unless they can handle their episodes on their own- which in most cases they don’t do well with it from my experience (have a family member with it). I think the whole idea of having to try different medicines is trial and error and somewhat expensive for those without insurance. My worries also stem from how many times like you mentioned that the medications can cause more harm then help.. which then leads to other things and chances of one having to take even MORE medication.. >.< it seems like a cycle for some people.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah it is a really difficult battle to find the right medication and it can end up being very expensive without insurance and a very good doctor. A lot of other illness can be made manageable by alternative therapies but bipolar is tough to handle without medication especially if your episodes are extreme. There is of course cognitive therapy but this just teaches you how to deal with the symptoms it doesn’t really help you with the root cause and I think it would only work alongside medication not on its own. Most patients have little control over their episodes and it’s definitely very hard for them to handle it on their own. They definitely need someone they trust around to help them out.
Medication does a lot of harm in some cases. The side effects for some are really terrible and many patients stop taking their medication because they can’t handle the side effects. Some medications side effects even provoke other illnesses. It’s like a never ending cycle for people on medication and the sad part is that even if they do well with one medication they need to keep increasing the dose after a while because their body gets used to it and the higher dose is usually not good for them.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, this is true. I forgot about the whole having to higher the dose after awhile because the body getting immune – that is a good point. I have heard of cognitive theory before, actual it is was my exercise science book as well, weirdly enough but it plays parts in not only mental illness but in understanding clients and their goals and creating their goals.. it has other uses
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah cognitive therapy usually helps clients get their lives together and it helps them deal better with their symptoms. It doesn’t really cure the illness itself and even though a lot of patients find it very helpful they usually do it along with medicines.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This might be why we use it too for fitness (well I don’t think we all do) but this could be a reason why my fitness book mentioned it because it helps clients get their lives together.. I will need to read up on it and get back to you on the fitness aspect of it. My brain is filled with hunger! lmfao.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah I’m sure fitness has a cognitive aspect to it too and working out and exercise is really important for most psychological disorders. Haha yeah do let me know what you find out! I’m super interested in it too now 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Okay so I did some reading up on it and it basically we call it the social cognitive theory, have you heard of that one? We use social cognitive theory for social support, analyze self efficiency
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah I learnt about that in psychology but the way we learnt to use it was quite different. I guess it’s different when you use it for fitness but in psychology we basically analyse the symptoms and then teach the patient to train themselves to cope with them.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very insightful! I had a vague idea but didn’t realise just how intense it can be.
I’ll also start following your YouTube channel (sorry about the delay but sometimes I’m a bit slow with these things 😂)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hey! no problem! ha 🙂 my YouTube channel isn’t famous yet but does have some unique conversations you may like. I thought of this to be insightful as well, it gave me more of an idea of this disorder than I had originally knew.
LikeLiked by 1 person