In my role as a licensed clinical social worker I covered the hospital emergency room for many years.
I was required to do psychiatric evaluations on the patients who were admitted with apparent mental illness symptoms.
One of the more debilitating mental illnesses I saw in my work at the hospital is called bipolar disorder.
It is also sometimes referred to as manic-depressive disorder.
People suffering from bipolar disorder have major shifts in their mood, energy, and level of activity.
The moods can be very high or very low.
They are unable to control these disruptive mood swings on their own.
They may have suicidal ideas or a preoccupation with thoughts about death and dying.
When severe depression occurs with a bipolar patient, they often describe feelings of anhedonia.
This means they are unable to experience any joy in their lives.
In a depressive state there are feelings of extreme sadness and hopelessness.
There can be frequent uncontrollable tearful episodes.
This level of depression can be overwhelming and feel virtually impossible to shake.
People will go on wild shopping, gambling, or drinking/drug use sprees.
They may engage in risky sexual behaviors with people they don’t know.
Their impulse control is gone because they believe they can do anything.
It offers a false sense of elation.
This false sense of importance is a part of the illness.
In a manic state, people will literally be unable to slow themselves down.
They often act like they have had way too much caffeine and are bouncing off the walls.
They seem jumpy and can’t sit still.
The opposite will occur in a depressive episode.
Getting out of bed can feel like an impossible task to accomplish.
There is no energy to give a shot to do the simplest of tasks like getting dressed or bathing.
Accomplishing anything of note during these episodes is highly unlikely.
The ability to focus is contingent on your mood
Bipolar disorder is a disorder of the brain.
It directly affects your ability to focus and think.
They may be non-communicative as well.
It feels like their thoughts are racing.
It can be hard to even carry on a conversation in a manic state.
you’re able to almost see the ideas and thoughts flying around in their head.
Sleep feels like the only alternative.
People in a manic state can go days without any sleep.
They often lose their awareness of time.
With a false sense of energy, they don’t feel they need any sleep.
They don’t want anything to slow them down.
There is a strong desire to do as many things as they can, often at the same time.
The ability to self-regulate is non-existent.
Disinterest in food is not unusual for bipolar patients trapped in a severely depressed episode.
There is no joy in eating even their favorite foods.
Several days can go by before they eat anything.
They can be totally unaware that they have not eaten, ignoring signals from their body.
In contrast, people in the midst of a manic phase cannot stop themselves from eating.
High consumption of food and drinks goes hand in hand with mania.
The ability to control impulse-eating is nowhere to be found at this time.
The ability to self-regulate is simply not there during these episodes.
That is not true.
One of the most challenging scenarios of bipolar disorder is when there is a mixture of these symptoms simultaneously.
This is particularly confusing for bipolar patients and the people around them.
Trying to manage this throw in of symptom presentation is especially challenging.
The challenges of medication management.
This can cause serious mental health consequences including symptom relapse and a return of the mood instability.
Those close to someone with bipolar disorder can benefit from both support and education.
Loved ones need to have a good understanding of this illness, its implications, and risks.
This can be a mental illness that is difficult to conquer without the proper medication and treatment.
The goal of the medication is to help stabilize mood swings.
Psychotherapy teaches you how to identify your potential triggers and assess ways to alter negative thinking.
It also offers new coping skills to help manage potential mood swings.
