Chic & Health

Sponsored Links

We sometimes feel happy for no reason at all and may want to sing and dance for joy. And there could be other times when we feel very sad and depressed. These mood swings happen to a lot of people but they do not occur every single day and apparently there are reasons for these mood swings. But for people who are overjoyed at one moment then depressed the next, it is highly likely that they have symptoms of bipolar and bipolar disease. Many myths which are often false have been conjured up by many people and it is because of this that the truth about bipolar disorder must be known.

The Truth About Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder is also popularly known as manic depression. As the name indicates, the symptoms of this disorder are characterized with periods of euphoria or mania alternating with periods of depression. These periods are not just fleeting phases. They last for hours, days and months. Moreover these radical mood changes also hamper the ability of the individual to lead a normal day to day life.

A burst of energy may be felt by the patient in the mania phase and he may paint, quit his job, sing and dance or even shop like a madman. Feelings of euphoria for no apparent reason are the characteristics of the mania phase.

On the other hand the depression phase can be recognized by periods of low or no energy. The patient may wallow in self pity, be completely depressed about everything and extremely lethargic for no reason.

These days bipolar disorder is quite a common affliction affecting almost 3% of the adult population in the US. Researches are going on to ascertain its true causes though its been linked to genetics and family history.

Bipolar disorder symptoms are known to eventuate in the late teenage and early adult years and most people initially look at bipolar symptoms in teens as typical adolescent behavior. When this happens, people tend to take no notice of them making the symptoms worse. From this we can clearly see that an early prognosis of the disease is needed to allow for any possibility of a normal life for the patient.

In the early days, people afflicted with the bipolar symptoms and bipolar disease, were often called “mad”. Many were thought to be possessed by evil spirits as well. However, with the advent of new technology, many of these myths have been broken.

Here are some old myths about bipolar disorder which were prevalent till recently:

Patients with bipolar disorder can no longer have a good life: This myth is absolutely false since people over the world afflicted with bipolar disorder can lead normal lives and have children and a great family. All that is required is a good support system and a good coping ability to manage the symptoms when they occur.

Sufferers of bipolar disorder cycle between mania and depression ” Even though there is an occurrence of both these episodes, depression phases happen more frequently than mania. Mania is hardly noticeable most of the time because it is so mild. There can also be cases where no symptoms are experienced by patients for a long period of time.

Bipolar symptoms and bipolar disease can be treated with medicines and therapy. However, along with these conventional cures, the love and unconditional support of friends and relatives can work wonders!