Bipolar

WHAT IS BIPOLAR?

(1)Bipolar was once called (and is sometimes still referred to as) Maniac depression. It is an illness that affects your mood and can makes you swing between happy and sad extremely rapidly. (1) There are other subcategory's of the illness that affects sufferers. (1)Depression (as can be expected) is one of these, as well as something called 'Mania' or 'Hypomania' which means the sufferer can get extreme bouts of energy and being positive- the feeling of being high and being overactive.  But as one can expect- the higher the high, the equally as low the low can be. (1) Unlike neuro-typical people, who's mood may change now and then throughout the day, a person suffering from bipolar will have mood swings for days, or months!

(1) During the episodes of feeling down, the person may experience quite a lot of depression and may even become suicidal.

(1)On the other hand, when  the sufferer has highs, they may feel ambitious and over energetic and have lots of idea and plans They may go out and spontaneously buy things that they wouldn't usually want or need - let alone afford.  They may feel particularly creative and think of having Bipolar as a good thing - an experience that will better them. (2) They may act in ways that could be dangerous, embarrassing or harmful.   (1)But they may experience something called 'Phycosis' which means they may start to see or hear things that are not even there. They may be convinced they are there but they are not.

IS THERE HELP AVAILABLE?

(1)The switch between the highs and lows are so extreme that they can get in the way of everyday life. There are medications available to help control these symptoms and allow the sufferer to lead as normal a life as they can. (1)There is such a thing as 'mood stabilizers' that sufferers can take daily.

(1)Or there is medication to pinpoint the cause for the depression and mania and help curb them when they happen. Prevention methods can also be looking out for the triggers of such episodes and trying to avoid them.

(1)There is also psychological therapy - which involves talking to a therapist about your problems in day to day life and trying to walk through them together with the advice and support you receive.

(1)There are also factors the sufferer can do themselves, such as Exercising more, changing their diet, and rewarding themselves or setting aside time for them to do thing that they like, to make their life feel more fulfilled and happy. (giving them less reasons to feel so sad)

(1)The best way to keep this illness under control is to use a mixture of these processes.

(1)Not much is known for definite about when Bipolar comes from - there is evidence it is an outcome of great stress, (1) 'overwhelming problems' as well as significant life situations that may change the course of life in the sufferer. (1) There is also some evidence it can stem from genetics too.

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(1)Bipolar can start at any age but it most likely to develop between the ages of 15 and 19. Its very rare that it will be evident of starting after you're 40 years old.  (1)It doesn't matter which background you're from - rich or poor, man or woman - anyone can get this illness.  The amount of mood swings that sufferers have are entirely subject to that individual. (1)Some people may only have a few episodes over the years, whereas others may have many.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF BIPOLAR? 

(2) I watched a short animation on Bipolar. In the animation, the narrator said that having Bipolar - when you're having a 'sad spell' can make you feel like life isn't worth living anymore. She also said sufferers find it hard to get things finished quite a lot as they may lose motivation and think 'what's the point?' She also said that sufferers may lose appetite and find it hard to sleep. They may feel an overwhelming sense of guilt all the time - that they are worse than everyone else. 

She also listed the two different types of bipolar illnesses.

(2)There is Bipolar 1; which means the sufferer may have had at "least one manic episode for more than one week" It is known that some people only have manic episodes and no depressive ones - although it is more common for people to have a mix of both.  

Without treatment, a normal manic episode can last anywhere between 3 - 6 months!!! A depressive episode can last longer - 6-12 months.

(2) And Bipolar 2: The sufferer will have more frequent severe depressive episodes but only a few small manic episodes.

(2)There are also other factors that tie in with these two types of illness. One is called:

(2)Rapid cycling; which is when you can have either of the two illnesses above, and have more than four severe mood swings within twelve months.

and

(2)Cyclothymia: which is when  the mood swings are not as severe, but can last a lot longer.

(2) BIPOLAR IS AN ILLNESS - NOT A DISORDER (which is why many sufferers prefer to be labelled as having 'Bipolar' not ' Bipolar disorder'

(3)"It's an emotional amplifier: when my mood is high I feel far quicker, funnier, smarter and livelier than anyone; when my mood is low I take on the suffering of the whole world."

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(2)As with depression, the symptoms of Bipolar are pretty similar. Listed below are some of the things that can happen to someone who has Bipolar/depression.

• (2)You tend to get sad for no reason. severe sadness that doesn't seem to let up or go away

• (2)you feel a lot like you're going to cry for no reason - bursting into tears

• (2)you lose interest in things that might have before interested you. You feel like you can't enjoy things. 

• (2)You feel like you can't relax. you're restless. 

• (2)You lose all respect or pride in yourself. You feel like you're not worth anything 

• (2)You feel like you are useless, you can't do anything and it makes you feel hopeless and inadequate. 

• (2)You feel snappy and irritable at everything and everyone.

• (2)You may even feel like killing yourself and putting yourself and others out of their misery.  (suicidal)

• (2)Lack of appetite

• (2)Trouble getting yourself to go to sleep

• (2)Getting up too early

• (2)Feeling tired a lot of the time

• (2)Having no sex drive

• (2)Crying a lot

• (2)Avoiding people

(2)Each episode can put great stress on the relationships of people close to the sufferer. There may be times when people can't deal with the strain it's putting on their friendships and feel like walking away. But you shouldn't. If you love and cherish that person you have to talk it through at the end of each episode and try to be understanding. 

(2)Books I could look at for my research: 

• An unquiet mind by Kay Redfield Jamison.

• Loving someone with bipolar disorder: understanding and helping your partner by Julia A Fast and John Preston.

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(3) I was watching a short documentary video about three sufferers discussing their illness. One man in the video said interestingly enough, he has no idea hes becoming 'manic'. He doesn't even realize. It starts with him thinking (3)' oh, I can spend a little bit more money here- or stay up a bit later working, because I'll just catch up on the hours sleep the next night - or, Pushing the envelope here and there. Just pushing himself a little further than usual. So its not really a hugely apparent thing when It starts.Its not until he stops and analysis's what he's done, that he thinks  'oh...what was I thinking? That wasn't the best idea..' That's when he starts to spiral down into the depression. When he starts to self criticize, and think 'why did I do that?!' Then the negativity takes over and he starts to think ' You're a bad person - why do you let this happen?' (3)He also said he refuses to let his condition dictate what he's like as a person. He's not particularly pessimistic or a depressive- its just the illness.

(3)The woman put things a little bit more into perspective for me. She was saying that people tend to think that the label 'Bipolar' means there two sides to a coin; extremely happy (manic) or extremely sad (depressive) But she said it not as clear cut as that. Being manic doesn't necessarily mean you have to be happy. You can feel agitated and frustrated and have a lot of energy to get rid of, and being depressed doesn't necessarily have to mean sad. It could be anger or frustration as well .So its not just two things completely separated - everything links and has intertwining emotions. It's not as stereotypical as people think.



(3) Steven Fry was diagnosed with manic depression (which by today's diagnosis would mean he has bipolar) The three were talking about his story and how its makes people see Bipolar a little more by having a famous person raise awareness about it.



(8) There are a lot of famous celebrities that have bipolar. Here is  list of a few more well known cases:

• (8)Demi Lovato learned she had Bipolar after attending rehab for her shocking behaviour, back in 2010

• (8)Catherine Zeta-Jones also has Bipolar; she revealed in 2011, after admitting that after the past year's stress, she had "booked herself into a metal health facility for a brief stay"

• (8) Carrie Fisher was diagnosed when she was in her 20's but refused to believe her doctor - "but over time she came to terms with her condition"

• (8)Vincent Van Gough was also thought to have had bipolar.

• (9) A lot of people speculate that well known and beloved actor Robin William's actually had Bipolar as opposed to depression too.

Characteristics into concept designs for characters

References for bipolar

(1)http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Bipolar-disorder/Pages/Introduction.aspx

(2)http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/healthadvice/problemsdisorders/bipolardisorder.aspx

(3)http://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/bipolar-disorder/?gclid=CjwKEAjww_a8BRDB-O-OqZb_vRASJAA9yrc56iziOAugQ4xXpe1Ptwd4xjFxfwDG0TffPpM8WTGCoBoCYubw_wcB#.V53bzbgrLIU

(4)https://darkpsychology.co/bipolar-disorder/

(5)http://www.mentalhealthy.co.uk/depression/bipolar/treatment-for-bipolar.html

(6)http://www.psych2go.net/10-facts-about-bipolar-disorder/

(7)http://www.pnpcenter.com/index.php/disorders/bipolar

(8)http://www.everydayhealth.com/bipolar-disorder-pictures/famous-people-with-bipolar-disorder.aspx#02

(9) http://www.commdiginews.com/health-science/health/how-do-i-know-if-i-have-bipolar-disorder-23789/



other sites I looked at:

http://www.youngminds.org.uk/for_children_young_people/whats_worrying_you/bipolar_disorder/factsheets

https://www.rethink.org/diagnosis-treatment/conditions/bipolar-disorder