Bipolar Disorder

• Bipolar disorder is a chronic mood disorder that involves periods of elevated or irritable mood (mania), alternating with periods of depression. The "mood swings" between mania and depression can be very abrupt.

• Bipolar disorder affects men and women equally. It usually appears between ages 15 - 25. While there is no exact known cause, researchers have concluded that heritability plays a large part in the disorder. mental illness that is caused by a chemical imbalance in your brain that causes severe mood swings.

• There is no clear cause for the manic or depressive episodes but factors that may trigger the illness are life changes such as childbirth, medications like antidepressants, periods of sleeplessness, and recreational drug use.

• There is the depression phase that is characterized by feelings of sadness, anxiety, hopelessness, guilt, worthlessness and helplessness.

• There is the manic phase, which is characterized by excessive elation wherein you feel as though you are on top of the world and even invincible.

• Symptoms of the maniac phase include: agitation or irritation, little need for sleep, noticeably elevated mood, hyperactivity, lack of self-control, and reckless behavior

• Symptoms of the depressed phase include : Difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions, having a daily low mood, and loss of self-esteem

• Other symptoms of the depressed phase include: sleep disturbances, persistent thoughts of death, eating disturbances, and fatigue and listlessness

Goals of the treatments of bipolar disorder are: avoid cycling from one phase to another, avoid the need for a hospital stay, help the patient function as best as possible between episodes, prevent self-destructive behavior, including suicide, reduce the severity and frequency of episodes

Medication to treat bipolar disorder include: Carbamazepine, Lithium, Valproate (valproic acid), Lamotrigine, antipsychotic drugs, and some antidepressant drugs.

• I feel like I have no sense of self-control as I switch from the manic phase to the depressed phase.

• I feel like my life is controlled by my emotions. I just can’t fit in to social contexts because I will always be different.

• There is no direction in my life if I cannot control my emotions because it hinders me in a world of competition.

• I can never sleep or eat right whenever I am in the manic phase, which makes the depressive phase even worse. It’s like I am trapped in a vicious cycle.

• To me, there always seems to be a hidden, subconscious level that houses the phase that I am currently not experiencing, reminding me that I will always be different.

• Initially, I am filled with energy, and then I become tired and depressed. The emotional rollercoaster leaves me drained and frustrated with the situation in my life.

• I feel like my life is worthless whenever I’m in the depressed phase of the disorder. Why bother living a life you can’t control?

• Because I have a daily low mood, I experience a loss of appetite and lose an extremely significant amount of weight, which then prompted the pity of those around me.

• Then I become restless, unable to sit in one location for more than a few minutes. I am extremely irritable at this time and can’t control my actions or what I say. I then feel guilt when I hurt others emotionally.

• Whenever I feel a bit of optimism, I feel as if I am able to break the shell of isolation that surrounds me and become my own person.

• This is a project for a high school AP Psychology course. This is a fictionalized account of having a psychological ailment. For questions about this blog project or its content, please email the teacher Chris Jocham: jocham@fultonschools.org