Blogger Amy aka atouturedsoul at Being Bipolar  established February as Bipolar Awareness Month.
“It is imperative that we raise awareness and reduce the stigma surrounding bipolar disorder in an effort to build a more supportive environment for those who suffer from this illness.”
You can participate by filling out a questionnaire or hosting a banner on your website or blog for the month of February.

An interview with Amy:

1. What is Bipolar Disorder? What are the signs and symptoms?

Bipolar Disorder is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy and the ability to function. It is characterized by manic and depressive episodes. There are four types of bipolar disorder and symptoms vary a great deal. Ongoing depression is often the first symptom reported, leading many to be misdiagnosed with clinical depression.

Symptoms of Mania:

* Increased energy, activity, restlessness, racing thoughts and rapid speech
* Excessive euphoria
* Extreme irritability and distractibility
* Decreased need for sleep
* Uncharacteristically poor judgement
* Increased sexual drive
* Denial
* Overspending
* Risky behavior

Symptoms of Depression:

* Persistent sad, anxious or empty mood
* Feelings of hopelessness, pessimism, guilt, worthlessness or helplessness
* Loss of interest or pleasure in ordinary activities, including sex
* Decreased energy, feelings of fatigue
* Difficulty in concentrating, remembering or making decisions
* Change in appetite or weight
* Thoughts of death or suicide

1. What is a manic episode like? What is a depressive episode like?

Manic episodes are sometimes like being on top of the world. You feel invincible and irresistible. It’s like having the whole world in your hand - at least in your own mind. You don’t need to sleep or eat. You seem to be overly creative and productive. It’s like everything in life is finally going your way and everything is being laid at your feet. This phase usually doesn’t last very long. Everything starts to spiral out of control. The assumed invincibility makes you take risks and make decisions that end up causing you grief. Thoughts run together in your head and you soon end up unable to sort any of it out. Promiscuity, excessive spending and substance abuse can come into play during this phase. Anger and aggression often enters the picture. You become defensive with people telling you that something is wrong or you are out of control. People tend to hurt the people they love during a manic episode.

Depressive episodes can start out mild and quickly escalate to a dangerous situation. You seem to slow down and feel sluggish and tired all the time. Nothing seems worthwhile and your brain seems as if it isn’t working properly. It’s hard to keep your thoughts together and concentration is often impossible. It seems as if the whole world is against you and nothing is going right. You feel as if you have failed in life and there is no way to turn it around. Thoughts of suicide fill your mind as it feels like the only way to put an end to the pain. There is no joy, although you may witness a false sense of happiness from someone trying to hide the hurt inside them. You may also see displays of anger as the pain manifests itself in other emotions. It’s an indescribable and unbearable pain. People tend to hurt themselves during a depressive episode.

2. What causes Bipolar Disorder?

There is a lot of speculation about the causes of bipolar disorder, but there is not a clear answer at this time. It seems to have a genetic link. There has also been studies suggesting that a glutathione deficiency may be a contributing factor. Without knowing the true cause, there can never be a real cure. Treatment is highly controversial as new medications with horrific side effects are now being used. Let’s hope they find the cause quickly so they can begin working on finding a cure or at least a more effective and safer form of treatment.

3. Where can people find help for Bipolar Disorder?

Start with your primary care physician. They can refer you to someone who can help. If you are suicidal, please visit your nearest mental health care facility, emergency room or primary care physician.

4. Can you recommend online resources for further research on Bipolar Disorder?

I have an entire page dedicated to online resources on my blog.

http://beingbipolar.today.com/resources/

5. How is Bipolar Disorder treated?

Bipolar disorder is typically treated with mood stabilizers such as Lithium. However, some people are resistant to these drugs and they have begun to treat bipolar disorder with a number of antipsychotics. These drugs have a great deal of side effects. Unfortunately, treatment for bipolar disorder is not ideal. It tends to involve covering up the symptoms more than actually stabilizing moods. It’s something that definitely needs to be improved. I am sure there will be nay-sayers and this isn’t something newly diagnosed people want to hear. I will say that I have taken a number of drugs over the years and I have had periods of stabilization. Whenever I have hit rock bottom, medication has managed to alleviate the symptoms and allowed me to regain control of my life. It’s not a hopeless situation.

6. What are the effects on Bipolar Disorder on family and friends?

There are days when even I don’t want to deal with my moodiness so I cannot even begin to imagine how hard it must be for other people. My family is great. They have built up a big tolerance to the changes in my moods and they haven’t strangled me yet.

In all seriousness, I have seen divorces caused by one person’s inability to cope with a bipolar spouse. Old friends grow tired of never knowing what they are going to deal with and it’s almost impossible to make new friends. Bipolar Disorder puts a huge strain on every relationship in your life. Unfortunately, some of them will not be able to withstand it.

7. How can family members and friends help someone who has Bipolar Disorder?

Learn as much as you possibly can about the disorder. Understanding is key. Get ready to develop a thick skin and know that you cannot take anything personal. Sometimes it is better to just listen than to say anything at all.

8. Please share what you are comfortable disclosing about your personal experiences with Bipolar Disorder.

I have suffered with bouts of depression for as long as I can remember. I never recognized the manic episodes until about three years ago, but I now know that I had them as early as age 15. In the past ten years, I became suicidal and sought treatment for depression. The meds always threw me into a euphoria that made me feel “cured”.

I finally reached a point where I started hallucinating. I had planned my suicide and called my husband to tell him goodbye. A few minutes later, a friend knocked on the door. She had a key to my house so I knew I might as well open the door. Showing up at that exact moment, she literally saved my life. I had two bottles of Ativan and a bottle of Buspar and was ready to take them all. She sat with me until the Sheriff’s Department arrived. They stayed until my husband arrived and agreed to take me to my doctor. It was then that I was diagnosed as having Bipolar 1 with psychotic features. I’m not going to say things are perfect now, but I am learning to deal with them. Knowing what to expect is better than stumbling around in the dark.

9. What inspired you to establish February as Bipolar Awareness Month? What are your goals?

I started looking around to find out what month was Bipolar Awareness Month and came up empty. There is one day set aside in October. It’s not enough. Over 5 million people have this disorder and we cannot raise awareness in just one day. 1 out of every 5 people with bipolar disorder commits suicide. This is unacceptable. It is my goal to help raise awareness so people can get the help they need without shame or guilt, others are able to recognize the warning signs so that we may drastically reduce the number of suicides occurring each year.

10. How can readers help?

Learn as much as you can about the disorder. Encourage others to learn about the disorder. It will make a difference.

Thank you Amy, and all the best with February as Bipolar Awareness Month.

Please check out and sign the new Recovery Wall.

Recovery Rocks!

Roxie

05.02.09 Addendum:

Dr. Farid left this comment:

“Excellent post.

You mentioned that there are 4 types of bipolar disorder. I wonder what they are.”

Amy’s response:

There are four forms of bipolar disorder:

Bipolar I

Bipolar II

Cyclothymia

Bipolar NOS (Not otherwise specified)

Bipolar I is characterized by true manic and depressive episodes. Sometimes, it is accompanied by psychosis.

Bipolar II manifests itself in hypomanic and depressive episodes. People with bipolar II do not experience a full-blown manic episode.

Cyclothymia is a milder form of bipolar II. It is characterized by milder hypomanic and depressive episodes.

Bipolar NOS is used to define a person who is clearly suffering from a form of bipolar disorder, but does not quite fit into any other category.

Thanks Amy!

NOTE: Meaning of NOS from About.com

Definition: An abbreviation for the medical term “not otherwise specified”. NOS is used as a broad-based diagnostic category, for instance “depression NOS. ” The choice of the NOS diagnosis means that the diagnosing doctor believes that the patient’s problems fall into a particular family of disorders (e.g., depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, etc.) but that there is not enough information at the time of diagnosis to better specify the type of disorder.

Roxie

You are invited to sign the Recovery Wall

Trackback URI | Comments RSS