Bipolar disorder seems to get a bad rap, but a lot of people in the public eye have come
forward and bravely discussed their struggles with the condition.
So what exactly is bipolar?
Hey guys Julia here for DNews
If you’re as big of a Demi Lovato fan as I am, you know the Confident singer is an
outspoken activist for mental health issues.
Several years ago she came forward and admitted to her own struggles with bipolar disorder,
formerly known as manic depression.
Even as the disorder becomes more of a focus in the public eye, a lot is still misunderstood.
Bipolar disorder is most known for the way it affects people’s moods.
It often creates an uncontrollable change in moods that can impact daily life for the
3% of Americans with the condition.
While researchers aren’t sure what causes it, the risk factors for bipolar include genetics
and environment, things like stress, substance abuse, and even lack of sleep.
But really it can affect anybody.
What a lot of people don’t understand is that bipolar is more than just a single diagnosis.
There are different categories, almost a scale of bipolar.
The symptoms vary from person to person.
Some people’s manic episodes leave them feeling exuberant and energetic.
They feel really creative and like their brain is working faster than usual, this usually
less severe and classified as “hypomania”.
In others, mania can make them go without sleep for three days or gamble away all their
savings.
There’s Type 1, which is what people mostly think of when think of the disorder.
It’s symptoms include extreme manic episodes in which someone acts more erratic than usual,
they have grandiose ideas, an exaggerated sense of importance and skills, higher sex
drive, and higher impulsivity.
While the highs are really high, the lows are just as extreme.
People with type 1have periods of extreme depression too.
Bipolar 2 is similar to type 1, but low moods tend to dominate with less frequent episodes
of less extreme mania.
Rapid cycling, just like it sounds, is a type when someone goes through 4 or more periods
of manic or depressive episodes in a 12th month period.
Yet, another type of bipolar is Cyclothymic, which has several less extreme manic episodes
and less extreme depression.
But no matter what all type, bipolar is mostly characterized by the swinging of moods from
low to high.
Sometimes these moods can last for weeks and months, other times they’re as short as
days.
And to some you might think the high episodes sound great.
Who doesn’t want to feel important, smart, and driven with a flight of ideas?
It’s these moments that make creative people with the disorder so productive.
Many creative types, painters, writers, even actors have been diagnosed with some type
of bipolar.
I’ve talked about this link before in another episode.
But like I said there’s a downside too.
Sometimes those grand ideas include delusions like taking over the government or winning
the jackpot at poker.
Both the highs and lows can be very disruptive to someone’s life.
And no one knows this better than Actress Carrie Fisher, who’s episodes made made
headlines.
Now she’s a champion of mental health issues.
Fisher once said at Comic Con that her bipolar made her go “very fast or very sad”.
And she even said something about another celebrity mental health icon, Robin Williams
she told Hollywood Reporter that "He was the opposite of selfish.
Anything would hurt him.
Or … impact him somehow.”
And that’s just what some research is showing.
One study published in the journal Nature found that some people with bipolar disorder
are more sensitive, essentially their brains are literally more sensitive to stimuli than
others.
In this study researchers took skin cells from participants, turned them into stem cells
than coaxed them into becoming neurons.
They found that some people’s neurons are physically more sensitive when stimulated
than others.
Other imaging studies found differences in the brains of those with bipolar.
One study published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry found differences in white matter
and the cerebellum.
The researchers used an MRI technique that searches for signatures of certain byproducts
of cell metabolism.
This technique found higher readings in white matter and the cerebellum than those without
the condition.
Their research also found that there were no differences in the cerebellum in those
participants with bipolar who are also taking a common form of treatment for the condition,
lithium.
Lithium is just one of several effective treatment options, like other mood stabilizers including
valproate.
According to a review published in the journal Current Opinion in Psychiatry, even some anti
seizure medications have been shown to be effective in treating the condition.
Beyond medication, different types of therapy help, like Cognitive Behavior Therapy which
helps patients build a toolkit of sorts for dealing with dysfunctions in thought patterns
and information processing.
Or Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy which helps patients figure out how their
routine and social situations affect their moods.
Many people with bipolar disorder go on to live wonderful, healthy lives.
But it starts with getting help.
Check out resources like the depression and bipolar support alliance at http://www.dbsalliance.org/
Art and creative outlets also help many people with psychological conditions heal, but what
is the link between creativity and mental illness?
find out more, in this episode right here
So do you have any other questions about psychology or the way our brains work?
Let us know down in the comments below