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Bipolar Disorder: Separating Myth from Fact
Despite today's wealth of knowledge, people still don't fully understand bipolar disorder. Either they believe the myths they hear and never bother to correct them, or simply aren't interested in finding out the truth. But understanding the realities behind bipolar disorder can help a great deal when it comes to dealing with someone who has the disorder or finding out whether or not you may have it.
The first step to fully understanding bipolar disorder is separating out the myths from the facts. This can easily help remove a lot of false information you may have heard about bipolar disorder and give you a clearer picture of what the disorder is truly like.
Bipolar disorder is nothing more than mood swings.
False. Bipolar disorder - also known as manic depression - is much different than the average person's mood swings. Being happy and then being grumpy is nowhere near what someone with bipolar disorder experiences. Someone with the disorder can go into a manic state - an extremely heightened state of excitement or agitation, but not necessarily happiness - and they can remain that way for a long time. The same can be said for when they go into a depressed state. Both of these states can last for many days and can interfere with a person's work and personal life. Someone with a regular mood swing may only deal with that particular emotion for a few minutes before letting it go. Likewise, the emotion they experience is not as powerful as what someone with bipolar disorder experiences.
Bipolar disorder is rare.
True. It is actually quite common, affected as many as 5.7 million people per year. While studies have been done on adults, there is less information about teens and children because they can be more difficult to diagnose. But that does not mean that children and teens are unable to have bipolar disorder. There are plenty of cases of children and teens that have bipolar disorder and are being treated.
You go from very happy to very sad with bipolar disorder.
Just like with the mood swing myth, this is one of the more common preconceptions about bipolar disorder. People think that a manic episode just means the person is really happy and the depressed episode is just a bit of depression. However, both episodes are much more than that and can affect the person is a lot of different ways. Someone going into a manic phase may start out feeling very happy, but it can progress into feeling hyper, easily irritated, disorganized, and unable to focus. Manic episodes can bother people because they suffer at work and at home and can have problems getting sufficient sleep.
Depressed phases are not just about feeling sad. A person may feel hopeless, lose interest in things they loved, be unable to work, and have trouble with their personal relationships. In addition, the shift from one phase to another can take time. It isn't quick the way some people think it is.
There is no test for bipolar disorder.
False. Though it would be wonderful to have a simple test that can tell a person whether or not he/she is bipolar, no such test exists. The only way to find out if you have bipolar disorder is to visit with a doctor well-versed in the disorder and answering many in-depth questions about your symptoms, how they have impacted your life, what your family history of mental illnesses may be, and more. With a clear, full picture, a doctor will be better able to decide whether or not bipolar disorder is involved.
Understanding the disorder will give you better insight into how it works and how it can affect someone's life. Separate out myths from facts to keep from making snap judgments and be better able to make informed decisions. There is plenty of information out there, and as always, if you need to know more you can always ask a doctor.
The first step to fully understanding bipolar disorder is separating out the myths from the facts. This can easily help remove a lot of false information you may have heard about bipolar disorder and give you a clearer picture of what the disorder is truly like.
Bipolar disorder is nothing more than mood swings.
False. Bipolar disorder - also known as manic depression - is much different than the average person's mood swings. Being happy and then being grumpy is nowhere near what someone with bipolar disorder experiences. Someone with the disorder can go into a manic state - an extremely heightened state of excitement or agitation, but not necessarily happiness - and they can remain that way for a long time. The same can be said for when they go into a depressed state. Both of these states can last for many days and can interfere with a person's work and personal life. Someone with a regular mood swing may only deal with that particular emotion for a few minutes before letting it go. Likewise, the emotion they experience is not as powerful as what someone with bipolar disorder experiences.
Bipolar disorder is rare.
True. It is actually quite common, affected as many as 5.7 million people per year. While studies have been done on adults, there is less information about teens and children because they can be more difficult to diagnose. But that does not mean that children and teens are unable to have bipolar disorder. There are plenty of cases of children and teens that have bipolar disorder and are being treated.
You go from very happy to very sad with bipolar disorder.
Just like with the mood swing myth, this is one of the more common preconceptions about bipolar disorder. People think that a manic episode just means the person is really happy and the depressed episode is just a bit of depression. However, both episodes are much more than that and can affect the person is a lot of different ways. Someone going into a manic phase may start out feeling very happy, but it can progress into feeling hyper, easily irritated, disorganized, and unable to focus. Manic episodes can bother people because they suffer at work and at home and can have problems getting sufficient sleep.
Depressed phases are not just about feeling sad. A person may feel hopeless, lose interest in things they loved, be unable to work, and have trouble with their personal relationships. In addition, the shift from one phase to another can take time. It isn't quick the way some people think it is.
There is no test for bipolar disorder.
False. Though it would be wonderful to have a simple test that can tell a person whether or not he/she is bipolar, no such test exists. The only way to find out if you have bipolar disorder is to visit with a doctor well-versed in the disorder and answering many in-depth questions about your symptoms, how they have impacted your life, what your family history of mental illnesses may be, and more. With a clear, full picture, a doctor will be better able to decide whether or not bipolar disorder is involved.
Understanding the disorder will give you better insight into how it works and how it can affect someone's life. Separate out myths from facts to keep from making snap judgments and be better able to make informed decisions. There is plenty of information out there, and as always, if you need to know more you can always ask a doctor.
About the Author:
Affinity is one of the leading anxiety treatment center which provides a full range of therapeutic care services to its clients.
