Anyway, my name is Jason, and I have Bipolar Illness.  I have had this illness since I was about 17 years old.  I am now 27.  It has been difficult for me, my family, and my friends.  But, with a lot of help, guidance, and encouragement, I have been able to lead a mainly normal life.

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Everyone has moods.  They can change several times a day from sadness to happiness, from boredom to excitement, from anger to contentment.  Some people experience extremely dramatic mood changes and may be diagnosed as having bipolar disorder.  Bipolar disorder (sometimes called manic depressive illness or manic depression) is a cyclic illness.  Moods may shift from deep, frightening depression to extreme happiness or elation (mania).  Some individuals experience marked instability instead of elation.  Between these extreme episodes, there are periods of more or less normal moods.  Bipolar disorder affects approximately one out of every 100 people, men and women equally.  The illness usually first appears in early adulthood or late adolescence.  It can also occur in childhood or in late adulthood.

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Contents

(click on the topic you want to read about)

About Bipolar Disorder
    Symptoms

Treatment of Bipolar Disorder
    Medication
    Psychotherapy
    ElectroConvulsive Therapy (ECT)
    Hospitalization

Closing Comments

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Symptoms

    Your mood may fluctuate between periods of extreme elation (mania) or moderate elation (hypomania) to profound depression.  Between these episodes, you may feel essentially normal.
    What's the difference between a normal mood and an abnormal mood?  It's not always easy to detect.  However, with bipolar disorder, your moods are out of step with the things going on in your life.
    Bipolar disorder has many variations.  The length, frequency and pattern of episodes differs from one person to another.  Some people experience extreme manic periods but mild depressive periods.  Individuals may have long and deep depressions, but mild manic episodes.  Still others experience less severe mood swings.  Some people even have symptoms of depression and mania at the same time.
    The periods of depression may last as little as a few days or as long as several months.  Some people may experience years between episodes while others may experience several episodes a year.

    About 1 in 10 people with bipolar disorder experience a pattern of mood changes called "rapid Cycling," experiencing 4 or more episodes of mania or depression in one year.
    People with rapid cycling tend to respond poorly to treatment with Lithium.  Other medications are usually more effective.

    In a depressive episode, you may have a range of mild to severe symptoms including:
        -    Feeling sad or blue most of the time, most days
        -    Activities that used to brief pleasure such as pursuing hobbies, spending time with family members or engaging in sexual activity, just aren't enjoyable anymore.
        -    Experiencing an increase or decrease in appetite may result in weight gain or loss.
        -    Experiencing difficulties in falling asleep, waking up in the morning or sleeping more than normal.
        -    Experiencing restlessness or moving significantly slower than usual.
        -    You may complain of not having the energy to do things such as getting out of bed in the morning or going to work.
        -    You may be unable to concentrate, causing a depressed person to have difficulty remembering names or the content of television programs.  People may delay important life decisions when clinically depressed.
        -    You may feel guilty over small or trivial matters.  You may believe that you have little or no influence over events in your life.
        -    You may think seriously about killing yourself and may make plans to do so.

    You don't need to have all of these symptoms to be clinically depressed.  Moreover, some people with several of these symptoms may simply be experiencing a temporary and short lived sadness.  To be diagnosed as having clinical depression, the symptoms need to be persistent.

    Many episodes usually arrive suddenly and end quickly.  The arrival of the first manic episode after a period of depression is often the clue that the condition is bipolar disorder, not depression.  Sometimes a manic episode is brought on by antidepressant drugs.
    During a manic episode, you may have a range of mild to extreme symptoms including:
        -    You feel super-human.  Your thoughts and ideas are radical and hugely ambitious.  You may be very self-centered.
        -    Although you sleep a little or not at all, you don't feel tired (for example, you may feel rested after only 3 hours of sleep).
        -    You speak quickly and can't stop talking.
        -    It's difficult for you to concentrate or focus on one thing at a time, and your thinking and speech moves quickly from one idea to the next.
        -    Your attention is easily drawn to unimportant or irrelevant things.
        -    Your moods shift rapidly, sometimes within minutes.  You may be irritable and easily frustrated.  You may lose your inhibition and become involved in high risk activities such as buying sprees, out-of-control sexual activity or foolish business investments.
        -    You are restless and physically active.  You may set a number of goals (e.g.., socially, at work or school, sexually) and increase your activity to achieve them.
        -    You may hear, see or smell things that are not real.
        -    You may believe things that are not true, such as having a special relationship with a religious figure, a celebrity or a well known political figure.

    It is important to remember that we judge ourselves by how we feel.  However, we are usually judged by others by what they see.  The two are often very different.
    When a manic episode begins, it is common to feel "on top of the world" -- happy, excited and full of ambitious plans and notice rapid speech.  They see the frenzied activity and risky actions of a person who is out of control and in need of medical help.

    A specific cause for bipolar disorder has not been identified.  However, physiology and heredity are likely factors.
    The increase or decrease or certain chemicals (called neurotransmitters) in the brain is probably the basis of the disorder.  Changes or imbalances in these chemical substances may explain why people develop this condition.
    Put simply, brain activity involves electrical charges that fire across the space between brain cells.  This space is called the synapse.  Brain cells have two main parts: the axon and the neuron.  With the help of brain chemicals called neurotransmitters, the electrical charges move from the axon of one cell to the neuron of another.  If these neurotransmitter chemicals get out of balance, the electrical activity in the brain is disturbed.
    Bipolar disorder often runs in families.  Researchers believe that one or more genes may be responsible.  Bipolar disorder is not caused by such things as:
        -    Poor parenting
        -    A bad marriage
        -    A demanding job
        -    A run of bad luck
        -    Loneliness
        -    Poor coping skills
        -    Using drugs or drinking too much
    These events or circumstances can create stress that may trigger or affect the course of the illness in an individual, but they do not cause bipolar disorder.

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Treatment

Medication

    Effectively treating bipolar disorder often involves taking medications and/or engaging in psychotherapy.  Making adjustments to your lifestyle and learning new ways of doing things are also important.
    Generally speaking, the treatment of bipolar disorder has three aspects: treating mania, treating depression and maintaining a relatively stable mood over the long-term.
    Determining the most effective treatment depends on several factors including:
        -    The symptoms of the manic and depressive episodes;
        -    How severe the episodes are;
        -    How often episodes occur and how long they last;
        -    The number and type of stressors in your life;
        -    The amount of support available from family, friends, and significant others.
    Finding the best possible treatment may take time and involves establishing a therapeutic relationship with your physician and/or therapist.  It may also involve the use of various types and combinations of treatments before the most effective is found.
    If bipolar disorder is not treated, people tend to have longer, more frequent episodes.  They generally have chaotic lives and many problems, with little hope of things getting better.

    When prescription medications are used, it is very important to find the most appropriate one and take it as prescribed.  Learn about the medication and talk with your physician and pharmacist about its effects on you.
    Identifying the best type of medication and the most effective dosage may take time.  Several weeks may have to elapse before the drug begins to take effect and you feel better.  Sometimes side effects cause discomfort, but these usually get better within a few weeks.

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Psychotherapy

    In psychotherapy or counseling, supportive, interested, objective therapists work with people to help them understand and resolve their problems.  Individual and/or group counseling can be helpful in treating bipolar disorder.
    Psychotherapy is conducted by mental health professionals such as psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and psychiatric nurses.  It is important to enquire about a therapists training, experience and therapeutic approach as professionals have different ways of practicing psychotherapy.
    There are many therapeutic approaches, but all are aimed at improving an individual's personal and interpersonal functioning.

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Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)

    Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is sometimes used to treat severe depression or severe mania, usually when drugs have not been effective or the risk of suicide is high.  It can also be used during pregnancy when there is a risk that certain medications may cause birth defects.  ECT is done in the hospital, usually at the rate of three treatments per week.  Typically, a person requires a total of  eight to 12 treatments.
    ECT has improved considerably since its early days and is today recognized as a humane and effective treatment for mental illness.  It's quick-acting, and improvements are usually obvious after a few treatments.
    What is it?  A small and carefully controlled current of electricity is sent to the brain to induce a seizure.  Electrodes are used to apply the current in similar ways paddles are used for heart resuscitation (but only about one percent of the amount of energy).  Patients are given anaesthasia and muscle relaxants before the procedure and are not awake during it.  They do not experience any sensations or body movement.  They may have headaches or short-term memory loss afterwards.

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Hospitalization

    The key to living successfully with bipolar disorder is early intervention and prompt treatment.  Most people are hospitalized at some time during the course of their illness, often during the first manic episode.  This time is used for assessing, diagnosing, starting medications, providing support, and reducing the risk of suicide or other harmful behaviors.
    Hospitalization may be required if manic or depressive episodes reoccur, and changes in medication make little difference.

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Closing Comments

I had originally intended for this page to be much more detailed, and by far a lot larger than it is, but I didn't want to try and sound like a "know-it-all".  I will say this however...  Mental illness has many different sides to it.  Anyone with mental illness may not react the same way as another with the same illness.  Most of us people with a mental illness are generally alright people.  We have family, friends, wants, needs, education, jobs, etc...  Just like "normal" people.  So please, treat us like normal people.  I think we deserve that chance to lead normal productive lives.  :)

If you would like more information about mental illness, please contact your local Mental Health Advisory Board, or ask your doctor for more information.  The more you know about mental illness, the better you will understand those affected with or by it.

If you wish to email me, I can be reached at jmitton@hotmail.com

Thanks for reading!

Jason.

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