Sunday, January 1, 2012

Dispelling a Few Myths about Bipolar Disorder

By Bryce Albertson


Hi again, fellow wackos and electronic rubberneckers!

If you are here because you are like meâ€"just a little "off"â€"then welcome. If you're here to find out more about bipolar disorder, stick around, because I know a bit and I like to talk. If you're here to watch the train wreck occur, hoping I'll melt down and post something wild about the speaking wombats that live in my chiller and their TV viewing habits well, you can doubtless be a little unhappy. I could be a freak, but I'm not crazy.

Yeah, that's right. I just called myself a freak. I think if other folks are going to call me that, I'll probably get away with saying it myself. Wacko, nutcase, loony, psycho... There are masses of things folks say about bipolar disorder, and many of them just aren't correct. Let's take a look at a couple of those things at the moment.



Bipolar Myth 1 "Folks with bipolar disorder are not really sick."


Some people say that bipolar disorder is "all in your head." They assert stuff like "everyone gets depressed. You only need to suck it up and handle it like everybody else." If this is correct then diabetes patients just need to get over their illness, too. I mean, too much sugar is not good for everyone, right?

Just as a diabetic's body doesn't process sugars correctly, someone with bipolar disorder's brain doesn't process dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine quite right.

Don't accept my word for it, though. Take it from research scientists at the University of Michigan who've studied Abnormal Brain Chemistry Found in Bipolar Disorder . They know what they're talking about.

I'm just some freak, remember?

Therefore you can let me know I don't have a "real" disease and that I simply have to deal with it, but first you've got to tell Ms. Diabetic to eat 6 Twinkies and sort it. Go ahead. I may call 911 while she is gnawing.

This myth is so commonplace that insurance corporations are able to treat itâ€"or more precisely NOT treat itâ€"like it's not a "real" disease. The last health care insurance I had would pay for 80% of the bill if I had to have major surgery, but only 50% if I saw a doctor for bipolar disorder. Also, they limited the amount of times I could see a doctor for treatment to 12 times ever year. Tell you what let's limit diabetics to 12 insulin shots every year and see how well they do.

What? We shouldn't do that because they could get sick and die?

Well, folks with bipolar disorder die, too. In fact, without proper treatment, 20% of them commit suicide. That's one in 5, people. I would say that comprises a serious health danger. Maybe this bipolar thing is a genuine illness after all.



Bipolar Myth 2 "People with bipolar disorder are beyond hope."


He has got bipolar disorder. He's crazy. He can't be helped. He's a lost cause. Or is he?

The incontrovertible fact isâ€"he isn't. Bipolar disorder is one of the easiest conditions to treat. There are several effective medications, some of which have been used for quite a bit. Lithium, as an example, has been about since the 1950's. Lithium doesn't work for everybody, though. That is the reason why there's Lamictal, Depakote, Zoloft, Tegretol, Wellbutrin, Prozac, Effexor, and a partridge in a pear tree. A psychiatrist can tinker with medicines until he finds a combination that works.

Medications can help, but so can just talking. Talk care did me more good than any tablet ever did. Nonetheless without the pills, I most likely would not have listened to anything when I was at rock-bottom.

The point is this: people with bipolar disorder CAN be helped. So if you have bipolar disorder or know someone that does, don't give up. There's hope.

Well gang, it looks like I am over word count. I told you I love to talk! We will chat some more next time when I dispel 1 or 2 more legends about bipolar disorder.

So to all my chums and fellow freaks, till next time keep fighting!




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About This Blog

The treatment options for Bipolar Disorder generally depend upon the severity of the condition for each individual. This blog discusses some of these treatment options and how they are employed

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