Steps and Symptoms ?

“I am excessively slothful, and wonderfully industrious--by fits. There are epochs when any kind of mental exercise is torture, and when nothing yields me pleasure but the solitary communion with the ‘mountains & the woods’--the ‘altars’ of Byron. I have thus rambled and dreamed away whole months, and awake, at last, to a sort of mania for composition. Then I scribble all day, and read all night, so long as the disease endures.”
Edgar Allen Poe




 “There is a particular kind of pain, elation, loneliness, and terror involved in this kind of madness. When you’re high it’s tremendous. The ideas and feelings are fast and frequent like shooting stars….But, somewhere, this changes. The fast ideas are far too fast, and there are far too many; overwhelming confusion replaces clarity. Everything previously moving with the grain is now against--you are irritable, angry, frightened, uncontrollable….It will never end, for madness carves its own reality.”

Kay Redfield Jamison

 “I roll on like a ball, with this exception, that contrary to the usual laws of motion I have no friction to contend with in my mind, and of course have some difficulty in stopping myself when there is nothing else to stop me…I am almost sick and giddy with the quantity of things in my head--trains of thought beginning and branching to infinity, crossing each other, and all tempting and wanting to be worked out.”

John Ruskin

                Did you know that Bipolar disorder effects people between 15-25 years old? Have you ever know someone who seem to have a sudden change in their mood or emotions? Well many do not know about what really causes this way of reacting because they have never experienced it. Bipolar disorder is know as manic depression and causes people to have stages of out rage or even depression, there are three types of stages that people can reach: major depression, hypomania, and cyclothymia.

The first stage (which is known to be the more powerful) is major depression this is when changes in mood occur and can last for a long period of time. Many clinical experts say that this can be cause by didn’t sources such as:

¨       Alcohol or drug abuse

¨       Life events or situations, such as: Breaking up with a boyfriend or girlfriend, failing a class, illness or death in the family, or parents divorcing (for adolescents)

¨       Childhood events, such as abuse or neglect

¨       Divorce, death of a friend or relative, or loss of a job (for adults)

¨       Social isolation (common in the elderly)

¨       Medical conditions such as hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid), medications (such as sedatives and high blood pressure medications), cancer, major illness, or prolonged pain

¨       Sleeping problems

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001941

If people can find a way to control them, then they might have a chance of helping them get through life without the added stress of feeling sad, angry, or even lonely.

The second stage of having bipolar disorder is known as hypomania  which can have less intense sypmtoms then the manic stage:

¨       Daily low mood

¨       Difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions

¨       Eating disturbances

¨       Loss of appetite and weight loss

¨       Overeating and weight gain

¨       Fatigue or listlessness

¨       Feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness and/or guilt

¨       Loss of self-esteem

¨       Persistent sadness

¨       Persistent thoughts of death

¨       Sleep disturbances

¨       Excessive sleepiness

¨       Inability to sleep

¨       Suicidal thoughts

¨       Withdrawal from activities that were once enjoyed

¨       Withdrawal from friends

The last step of the spectrum is cyclothymia. This stage is the least intense stage of them all causing side effects:

¨       Episodes of hypomania (see: Bipolar disorder) and mild depression occur for at least 2 years (1 or more years in children and adolescents)

¨       Mood swings are less severe than in bipolar disorder, major depression, or mania

¨       Symptoms are persistent, with no more than 2 symptom-free months in a row

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002517

Bipolar or Stress?

Bipolar Disorder or Just Stressed?

Have you ever felt as if you were riding a rollercoaster though life? Going through the ups and downs not only with the long days but also the waves of emotions that you and others face? Well many people especially teenagers have states or times where they start to get over whelmed with the pressures of life, but many cannot figure out if they are struggling because of stress or if they are truly experiencing a disorder known as “bipolar disorder?”

 Through my life I can honestly say that I am unsure that I am just facing stress, my whole life I have been dealing with many emotions such as anger, sadness, and happiness but I have never felt as if I was just dealing with the simple facts of life and growing up.  Bipolar disorder is classified as an treatable illness it causes many mood swings and can effect anyone,  I am one of those people that are effected by this (well so I assume) because I feel like I do not get over my moods as well as other and I face more challenging days than people who are not affected it. If you feel the same way then you may be dealing with it also.