Parenting Blog

by Ken P Doyle

There may be occasions when we feel happy for no apparent reason and want to sing and dance for joy. There are also times when all of us feel melancholic or sad. Mood swings are present in a lot of people but they do not happen everyday and not without reason. But in cases where people are ecstatic one moment then all of sudden fall into the depths of depression, then there is the possibility that they may be suffering from bipolar disease with bipolar symptoms present.

There are false myths about bipolar disease and bipolar symptoms harbored by most people and that is why the truth about bipolar disorder must be known. What Bipolar Disorder Really Is Another common name which is given to bipolar disorder is manic depression. Symptoms associated with this disorder include periods of euphoria or mania interchanging with depressive periods. These particular periods are not momentary phases and can last for hours, days and months.

These mood changes also affect the individuals ability to lead a happy and normal life. Patients in the mania phase may have an increased amount of energy and feel the urge to do things out of character like sing and dance, quit his job or shop like a madman. Euphoric feelings for no apparent reason are the characteristics associated with the mania phase.

The depression phase on the other hand can be characterized by symptoms of low or no energy. A person suffering from this phase may be completely depressed about everything, wallow in self pity and be very lethargic for no reason. Bipolar Disorder has become a common affliction these days with 3% of the adult population in the US affected. Even though the disease has been linked to genetics and family history, researchers are striving to ascertain the actual causes.

Bipolar disorder symptoms are known to eventuate in the late teenage and early adult years and most people initially look at bipolar symptoms in teens as typical adolescent behavior. When this happens, people tend to take no notice of them making the symptoms worse. From this we can clearly see that an early prognosis of the disease is needed to allow for any possibility of a normal life for the patient.

People suffering from bipolar disease and the bipolar symptoms were often referred to as “mad” in the early days. Another perception was that they were possessed by evil spirits. However, many of these myths have been shattered with the advancement of technology.

Below are some myths about bipolar disorder which are still being used today:

A good life is no longer possible for a person with bipolar disorder ” This myth is false as it can be seen that people all around the world who suffer from this disease have children and a great family and they lead perfectly normal lives. All that is needed for this to be possible is the ability to cope with and manage the symptoms when they occur and also a good support system.

Sufferers of bipolar disorder cycle between mania and depression ” Even though there is an occurrence of both these episodes, depression phases happen more frequently than mania. Mania is hardly noticeable most of the time because it is so mild. There can also be cases where no symptoms are experienced by patients for a long period of time.

Bipolar symptoms and bipolar disease can be treated with medicines and therapy. However, along with these conventional cures, the love and unconditional support of friends and relatives can work wonders!

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