As I've explained in Mood Disorders: An introduction to bipolar disorders, Bipolar is a mental illness but of mood swings and of varying energy levels. The pendulum swings wide, high and then low. At much lower and more normal situations, these mirror the normal ups and downs of people in their daily lives. The difference is, however, the bi-polar victim is way out of bounds. At times, he speeds on far ahead of others, then they run out of fuel, is way down in the dumps, can't see anything but doom, can't work, and is in some much psychic pain it becomes almost unbearable.
The pain comes from the terrible guilt of having mistreated others, having spoken harshly, having failed to to complete impossible tasks, having lost their jobs, their friends, and seeing nothing but doom ahead. Once this cycle is weathered, then normalcy begins to creep. Assuming this is mild, and not too far from normal life with its problems, most manage to cope quite well. But let a full blown bipolar episode strike and there's no way to go but to let it run its coarse. Most likely hospitilazition will necessary.
Recent news items about Bipolar have taken on different facets of the disease, depression from the Palm Beach Post with the politics of mental illness; The Merced Sun Star: Bridging the Mental Illness Gap in College; the use of bipolar drugs to treat misbehavior and other unruly youth from The Fortworth Star Telegram; Salt Lake Tribunal Healing Through arts;Fair View Post with Bipolar Presentation opens Hearts and Minds; Sydney Morning Herald and Teenagers Sleep a clue to Mental Health risk, and many others.
It is this kind of opening up of discussion and input that will eventually lead to more knowledgeable treatment of the disease. Each victim, each observer, each psychiatrist, psychologist, social worker, co-workers, friends, and family members that observe and share their ideas is where the next breakthroughs will come form.
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