Did you know that many famous people have Bipolar Disorder?

*The poets William Blake, Victor Hugo, Robert Lowell, Edgar Allan Poe, Alfred Lord Tennyson

*The general Napoleon Bonaparte

* The actors Jim Carrey and Jean-Claude Van Damme

*The writers Agatha Christie, F Scott Fitzgerald, Mark Twain,

* The British prime Minister Winston Churchill

*The physician Sigmund Freud,

*The Actresses Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor

*The composer Mozart,

The scientist Isaac newton,

*The philosopher Plato,

*The saints Francis, John, and Theresa,

*The artist Vincent Van Gogh

All these great people are manic depressive, but they were able live up to their potentials. You can, too!  You are no different.  You just have to believe in yourself.

Of course, everyone has their fair share of mood swings, but the shift in mood for the manic depressives are different because they are bordering on depression. Aside from this, they are also very susceptible to suicide. Thus it is already established that bipolar disorder, or the manic depressive disorder, is a very serious disorder that can neither be ignored or neglected.

Because this disease usually starts in the early adulthood stage in a person’s life, one can assume that this disorder can be easily managed by the person without much help nor support from his or her friends or family. This is not a correct assumption. Ideally, persons with manic depression should be bounded by a support system from friends and family because regardless of the age and the level of maturity of a manic depressive, which one would assune is on a fairly elevated level already, the fact that bipolar disorder is a serious disorder that makes its victims irrational should always be taken into consideration.

For this reason, the following tips are henceforth given to the families and friends of persons who are suffering from bipolar disorder:

• Learn about bipolar disorder, its causes, and its treatment. Talk with the person’s healthcare provider, if possible.

• Learn to recognize the warning signs of depression (low moods) and mania (high moods). You may notice the symptoms before the patient does. If you notice symptoms, talk to the patient in a caring manner. Suggest a visit to a healthcare provider.

• Encourage the patient to stay with treatment. Sometimes treatment doesn’t seem to be helping, or side effects may be severe. In that case, encourage the patient to talk to the healthcare provider. If things still don’t get better, you may want to suggest that the patient get a second opinion.

• Work with the patient to help him or her keep healthcare provider appointments. Help make a list of the patient’s healthcare providers, phone numbers, and medicines. This should include the name of the medicine, how much to take, when to take it, how to take it, and what it treats.

• Help monitor medicine use. It can be dangerous to stop or restart a medicine without a healthcare provider’s advice.

• Use of alcohol and street drugs can make symptoms worse. Help the patient understand the dangers.

• Sometimes a patient may feel that your concern is interference. This can especially happen during a mood episode. Remember that this is not a rejection of you. It is most likely part of the illness.

• Do things with, rather than for, a person recovering from an episode.

• Consider using times when moods are stable to discuss and develop safety plans. These could include hospitalization or withholding credit cards, car keys, or banking privileges. But keep in mind that during an episode, the patient may not follow the agreement.

Are you always at the mercy of your moods? And does these moods shift on the extreme as suddenlt as they have started? Read this entry and find out whether you are manic depressive.

Bipolar disorder, otherwise known as manic depression, is a psychological disorder that causes a person to experience rapid, often severe, changes in mood, energy, and ability to function properly. It is a complicated disorder which is under the category of mood disorders. More often than not, bipolar disorder is associated with two or more episodes of abnormally elevated mood. This mood is commonly referred to as mania. People who express manic episodes are likely to express depressive episodes as well. Depressive episodes, as opposed to manic episodes, are sudden negative shifts in the mood and behavior of a person. Usually, the persons who have bipolar disorder shift their moods and behaviors from manic to depressive stages over a period of time. However, there are also cases who experience a rather speedy shift of manic and depressive episodes. In psychological terms, this is what we call rapid cycling.

Persons who have bipolar disorder usually display symptoms of this disease during their early adulthood stage. Observed behavior, together with a person’s testimony on his or her experiences are the means to diagnose this disease. According to experts, distress trigger episodes of this illness. They also claim that persons who are bipolar are susceptible to suicide.

Genetics, early environment, and social and psychological advances are said to be the contributing factors of this disorder.

Compared to other normal individuals, persons with the bipolar disorder tend to be more outgoing. Aside from this, they are also more daring. Most of the people who have been found to have active involvement and appreciation of the arts.