Bipolar Stigma: From A Bipolar Disorder Patient's Point-Of-View

Stigma - noun ( pl. stigmas or esp. in sense 2 stigmata |stig-mäta| ) a mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person: the stigma of mental disorder

Today's mass media are the number-one enemy of the mentally ill. Their relentless drumbeat of anachronistic stigma and images of mood disorder patients are shameful. They portray bipolar disorder patients as cold-blooded killers and depict images of patients lying on couches undergoing psychoanalysis, harsh institutional environments like those shown in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and flailing patients undergoing "shock" therapy. These antiquated stereotypes are untrue.

Today patients are stabilized, not pharmaceutically "managed" to make them groggy and more easily handled. Medical and psychological treatments are instead humanely administered in comfortable settings, all the while treating the whole individual mentally, physically and emotionally. Although there is no cure for bipolar disorder, it can be managed and the patient stabilized. Stabilization is achieved by means of:

• Psychological Counseling


• Psychiatric Drug Therapy


• Patient Positive Lifestyle Changes

"Pop psychologists" like Dr. Phil demean the profession by chasing fame and wealth at the expense of their "victims." They stoop to street-talk terms in discussing and dramatizing issues rather than using accurate clinical terms, referring to a schizophrenic as "crazy," for example. They promote dramatic interpersonal conflicts to raise viewer ratings. So it is with "expert witness" psychologists who serve as hired guns whenever an attorney needs help with a case. These doctors' primary skill is uttering clinical "shop talk" to impress juries and drive home an attorney's point.

Aside from seeking wealth, these two brands of psychologists shun clinical work and avoid interaction with real patients to eliminate encounters with unpleasant patients, and to avoid the risks and overhead associated with being in business. Malpractice insurance and unpaid accounts come to mind.

The general public has little to rely on other than errant media views coupled with the strange behaviors of mental patients. When coupled, these two forces create the societal stigma that now exists in the U.S. Folks need to know the truth:

• Bipolar Disorder and Clinical Depression are biologically caused, like diabetes or cancer


• Bipolar Disorder is mostly genetic in origin and/or results from extreme stress


• Bipolar Episodes can be triggered by traumatic incidents or by extreme physical, mental, or emotional stressors


• "Misbehaviors" of mood disorder patients are involuntary


• "Misbehaviors" of mood disorder patients are not character flaws or moral weakness


• "Misbehaviors" of mood disorder patients are not sin


• The typical course of Bipolar Disorder is one of launching into mania and then descending into depression. In "mixed-states" mania and depression occur together

One must be armed with the truth in order to withstand and combat the insults and abuse that accompany those of us who must endure the ridicule of others. Many of us are too shy, embarrassed or timid to go on offense. If unable to confront these detractors personally, a bipolar person can join a larger organization dedicated to ending stigmatization of the mentally ill.

The bottom line is that bipolar patients can lead fruitful and fulfilling lives -despite the disorder-when following their treatment plans and choosing positive lifestyle changes.

Bipolar Disorder - How to Cure Yourself

You may already know there is no medical cure for bipolar disorder. There have been some "miracle cures" that have come out on the market that make extravagant claims, but many have been exposed as scams. However, did you know that there are many natural ways in which you can come as close as is humanly possible to curing yourself of your bipolar disorder as you can?

No, there is no cure for bipolar disorder yet, but there is treatment for it. Treatment consists mainly of medication and therapy. I believe that without these two things, none of the other techniques I will talk about in this article will help you in any way; so first of all, be sure that you are taking your medication and seeing a good psychiatrist and therapist to get the best treatment possible.

There are other things you can do to help get yourself as close to a "cure" as possible, though, until research and the medical profession catch up to you.

One very important, but highly overlooked, thing you can do is keep a good sleep schedule. This is so important because lack of sleep (or a disrupted sleep schedule) is one of the most common triggers to a bipolar manic episode. You should be going to sleep at the same time every night and waking up at the same time every morning, and you should be getting eight to nine uninterrupted hours of sleep every night.

Another thing you need to do for yourself is to keep your stress and anxiety levels to as great a manageable level as you can. The more you can do that, the closer your "emotional self" will be to a cure. There are several ways to do this. Consider the following examples:

One way to lower your stress level is to meditate or to pray. I'm not advocating any specific religion here, or promising that a Higher Power will cure you of your bipolar disorder. What I am saying is that many people with the disorder have found that some type of spiritual practice has helped to lower their stress and anxiety levels.

Another way to lower your stress level is to practice relaxation exercises. The easiest one is to take deep breaths to the count of five. Take a deep breath in through your nose to the count of five, hold for the count of five, and breathe out your mouth to the count of five. Repeat this five times. The reason this is so easy is that it is all "fives," and therefore easy to remember. You should be relaxed after the fifth time, but if you are not, you can repeat the exercise.

The greatest "cure" you can do for yourself is to be balanced. You must be balanced physically, mentally/emotionally, spiritually and financially. Imagine it as a table with four legs. If all four legs are balanced, the chair is upright; however, if one leg is out of balance, the whole chair is out of balance.

I wish I could tell you there was one magic pill you could take to be instantly cured of bipolar disorder. I would love it if the researchers were able to announce a medical cure for bipolar disorder tomorrow when we woke up.

Unfortunately, until then, you must do what you can to be your own cure for bipolar disorder. By following the suggestions in this article, you will come as close to a cure for the disorder as is humanly possible at this point.

The Two Phases Of Bipolar Disorder Symptoms

If you meet someone whose mood changes without any particular reason, you might find it a bit strange. Sometimes the change can be very dramatic that you might somehow feel scared of that person. You might even feel that the person is mentally ill because of his strange behavior. What you don't know is that this behavior can be one of the many bipolar disorder symptoms. Bipolar disorder is a kind of mental disorder which causes one person to have mood swings without him even realizing it. One minute he is very happy and the next he's either depressed or angry. Bipolar symptoms can be very both confusing and disturbing which might cause people with this disorder to be alienated by their peers. This social alienation will only cause more hurt to the sufferers, because what they actually need is someone who can help them. This article will tell you about the different phases of bipolar symptoms so that if you suspect that you family member or you friend suffer from bipolar disorder, you can help them fight the condition.

As mentioned previously, bipolar disorder symptoms cause one person to have drastic mood swings. The mood shifts can happen abruptly or gradually. The severity of the mood swing varies among sufferers; it varies from mild to severe. There are two phases of mood change commonly experienced by people with this condition, the manic phase and the depressive phase.

The manic phase usually causes the person to be over-excited, extremely active, and sometimes creative. During this phase, people with bipolar disorder often feel assertive and expressive. He will also find it hard to control his feelings because he just gets too excited over anything. He will actively move without even feeling the slightest bit exhausted, and it will only result in lack of sleep.

On the other hand, there is the depressive phase. As the name suggests, this phase is the polar opposite of the manic phase. We can clearly see the signs of depression during this stage. The person will be overly sad without any specific reason, crying over nothing, and will even isolate himself from the society. During this phase, the person will also seem like he has no interest in anything at all and he will easily feel tired or anxious without knowing the reason.

Treating bipolar disorder symptoms is not an easy task to carry out. Even so, with patience and perseverance the illness can surely be cured. As a friend or family, you have to motivate and support him during the recovery process.

Bipolar Disorder Symptoms - How Can You Really Tell?

Bipolar disordered, or manic-depressive disorder, is a condition that has a person's moods going through a process of highs and lows. bipolar disorder symptoms can vary from person to person, and depending on their level of bipolar, but there are common symptoms that can help define the disorder. Being able to understand the causes, notice the signs, and understand the episodes can help lay out a treatment plan for you.

There are different levels of bipolar, causing the bipolar disorder symptoms to be different for each individual. The depression that is associated with bipolar can cause symptoms such as anxiety, panic, fatigue, guilt, problems concentrating, irritability, loss of appetite or even sleep problems. Depending on the level of your bipolar, the presence of one or all of these symptoms will vary. A mild case of bipolar is sometimes called cyclothymia. In this case, the bipolar does not interfere with a persons daily life, and their depression and mood swings don't occur very often, and are easily handled. A more sever case of bipolar is sometimes called bipolar II. In this case, you can usually still go about your daily activities, but feelings of irritability and high moods can change causing a person to feel off balanced. The high moods, also called hypo-manic, can cause a person to feel an inflated self-esteem, cause rapid speech, poor judgement, risky behavior, an increased drive to perform goals or extreme optimism. In bipolar II, these two emotions change, but depression usually last longer.

The most extreme case of bipolar is sometimes called bipolar I. bipolar disorder symptoms for those with an extreme case like this can have the flip of emotions from depression to hypo-manic multiple times a day. The change in moods usually causes individuals to not be able to go to work, or handle their daily lives with out treatment. The feelings of extreme depression, and hypo-manic in bipolar I causes an individual to to have a hard time at work, school, or even their relationships. Understanding the level of bipolar in an individual can allow a health care professional to find the right path of treatment to help them get back to living their lives.

Understanding bipolar disorder symptoms can help someone recognize their emotion flips, helping them deal with them at the time. It can also help someone understand the roller coaster of emotions in someone close to them with bipolar. Understanding the disorder helps everyone deal with it so it does not interfere with ones lives as much as it can. For any questions, discuss it with a health care professional so they can give you all the information your seeking.

Bipolar Disorder - Some Facts

Bipolar Disorder is suffered by millions of people in North America.

Bipolar Disorder can make life with friends, family and work very difficult, with the mood swings and lack of sleep. When you take the word disorder and hyphenate it dis-order meaning that some thing is out of its natural order. Something is not working the way it was meant to work. That something is your brain or more specific its the thoughts you are having. You are thinking negatively. When you are thinking properly you are thinking positively.

Bipolar disorder is often misdiagnosed by family doctors. Doctors can put you on medications for the symptoms, but that will not be enough to get you and your brain to right thinking or thinking positively. You need the right tools or programs to help you change the thoughts you are having. Medications are OK for the short term but you need to have the tools and programs that will help you over come this disorder for the rest of your life. Do you really want to have this monkey on your back? No of course you don't.

You should seriously consider looking at the self-help programs. There are many really great ones on the market today. Self-help programs are very powerful and will transform you to a new you. Isn't that what you want to be a new you? If you are willing to reprogram the way you are thinking, Bipolar disorder will no longer control you. It is the only way to be really free of this disorder or any disorder.

You deserve to be free of this turmoil in your life. Life is supposed to be relaxed and happy. You deserve to be relaxed and happy right?

Until you find a self-help program something that you can do right now is get outside and do some type of exercise walk, bike, hike, run for at least 15 minutes or more if you can and try to do that every day if you can, and notice how much better you feel. Then you can build on from there. This is one of those things were more is better. Bipolar disorder does not have to control you.

Bipolar Treatment - Recognizing and Understanding the Different Types of Bipolar Disorder

One of the toughest parts of proper bipolar treatment is actually determining the correct diagnosis. One of the largest reasons for this is the fact that there are several types of bipolar disorder. Also the characteristics of the episodes are so diverse from patient to patient that it could take a long time to determine an actual pattern in which to base a diagnosis on.

The different types of bipolar are characterized by the patterns in the frequency, length, and severity of episodes of depression and/or mania. Determining which type of the illness is present is necessary to accurately prescribe medication for treatment.

Types of Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar I

This form of bipolar disorder is the most severe of all the types. It is characterized by having at least one episode of both mania and depression with each lasting more than a week with little to no break in symptoms. The most extreme cases of mania are found in bipolar I disorder.

Bipolar II

Unlike Bipolar I, this type of the illness consists of milder episodes of mania, known as hypomania, along with depression. The mania involved here is so mild that it is often overlooked as a problem, and could go unrecognized for quite some time. Long periods of no symptoms often occurs in this form of bipolar disorder.

Rapid Cycling Bipolar

This is made up of at least 4 mood episodes in a single year. It is not uncommon for patients with rapid cycling to experience these mood shifts as frequently as weeks or even days. Rapid cycling most commonly develops over time and can occur even after diagnosed with another type of bipolar disorder.

Cyclothimic Disorder

This disorder is characterized by extremely mild episodes of both mania and depression. It is possible for this condition to worsen over time.

Mixed Bipolar Disorder

Mixed Bipolar is determined by experiences of both mania and depression occurring at the same time. A patient with this form would have upshifts in mood and energy with depressive thoughts present, or vice versa. This has a potential to be very dangerous for suffers, as being pulled in both directions at once is such a physical and mental strain, moreso than other forms of bipolar disorder.

Uncatagorized Bipolar Disorder

Uncatagorized is for bipolar suffers whose mood shifts fall into no pattern identifiable with other types of bipolar. This makes bipolar treatment difficult because with most forms you develop a pattern and you tend to become aware of whats coming, but with uncatagorized you are constantly guessing.

Understanding and recognizing the different types of this disorder helps tremendously with bipolar treatment.

Bipolar Disorder - 7 Holiday Survival Tips

If you're bipolar, the holiday season may come accompanied by a great deal of dread.

It may be hard to be festive and enjoy the holiday cheer when you're struggling financially, when you're beating yourself up for being little better off than you were last year at this time, or while wallowing in guilt over any improprieties you may have committed during your last manic jag.

Spending sprees or unemployment may have left you with little money for buying gifts for your friends and family. The thought of spending time with friends and family may fill you with anxiety.

How, then, to survive the holidays?

Here are seven holiday survival tips to help people with bipolar disorder get through the holidays:

1. Avoid alcohol

Aside from the fact that many of us with bipolar disorder also have addiction issues, the medications you may be taking often react poorly with alcohol. Many of the medications commonly prescribed for bipolar disorder are hard enough on the liver as it is - add alcohol to the mix and you're asking for trouble. Besides, as the adage goes, you won't find any solutions in the bottle.

2. Choose social events wisely

Spending time with other people is one of the best things you can do for yourself, but it's alright to be picky. Avoid people and places that trigger mood episodes. If you know you would be tempted to drink at a certain party, feel no guilt about sending your regrets beforehand. For events you do attend, have a backup plan in case it becomes overwhelming - you can leave at any time. You don't owe anyone an explanation and you don't need to make excuses. Take care of yourself.

3. Limit spending on gifts

We have a great tradition in our family of drawing names for gifts and putting spending limits on the gift. This takes a lot of pressure off, knowing you don't have to buy the perfect gift for everyone, and you can practically eliminate shopping time. Money is a huge issue for most of us, and the temptation is to overspend and use plastic. Don't. Instead, put a little bit of cash aside each week for occasions like the holidays that happen every year. Spend only what you have. This may actually allow you to make your gifts more creative and speak from the heart. If you have no money, make a card and tell the person how much they mean to you.

4. Stay on a regular sleep schedule, eat well and exercise

Missing a night of good sleep can be worse for you than missing a dose of medication. Keep a regular schedule. Watch what you eat - we tend to eat to calm our emotions in the holidays. Eat what you need for good health but don't overindulge. If you aren't exercising daily, take the time to establish the habit - you might even ask for a gym membership or a beginner's yoga class for Christmas.

5. 'Just say no'

When we're feeling good, we're feeling really good. The temptation may be to over-commit to activities or to agree to do things out of wanting to please rather from the sincere desire to do those things. This can lead to you feeling overwhelmed, triggering a depressive episode. Practice saying no, even to things you want to do. See how many times you can say no to people and get away with it. This will make it easier to say no to things you don't want to do or you're ambivalent about.

6. Be honest

If you're worried about money for gifts, concerned about attending a party, or anxious about seeing someone, be as open and honest as you can be beforehand. Clear the air before the actual event so that you can enjoy it more. Sometimes telling how you feel can make you very vulnerable, but this openness is a strength, no matter how people may react.

7. Keep responsibilities minimal

Though it's true that responsibilities can in a way set you free, think twice before inviting the whole family over for dinner. If there's someone else who can be host or hostess, let them and perhaps offer to help. The less stress you have, the better able you'll be to take care of yourself, enjoy the holidays, and allow others to enjoy you.

I hope these seven tips help you. In most families and circles of friends, seeing you doing well will be the best gift of all. Don't worry so much about buying presents - you are a worthwhile human being, and that's present enough.

Early Onset Bipolar Disorder - A Parent's Guide

Bipolar disorder, also called manic-depressive disorder, is a psychiatric illness characterized by mood swings, extreme emotions, sleep disturbances and unpredictable behavior. It is most commonly diagnosed in young adults, with a mean age at diagnosis of 25 years. Nevertheless, it is a common disorder in children as well. Known as "early onset bipolar disorder," the childhood form of the disease is characterized by more severe symptoms than those usually seen in adults.

Both forms of the disease are treatable. As a rule, outcomes are better when treatment is started as soon as possible after symptoms appear.

What is bipolar disorder?

Bipolar disorder is a serious brain disorder. People who suffer from bipolar disorder experience extreme emotional states that vary unpredictably from severe depression to an agitated, excitable so-called "manic" state. The illness is divided into four major categories according to the severity of symptoms and the frequency with which they occur. The most severe form of the disease, Bipolar I Disorder is characterized by severe episodes of mania that last a minimum of seven days, usually alternating with periods of depression that may last as long as two weeks. Bipolar II disorder and other less severe forms of the illness are marked by "hypomania" -- less extreme manic behavior -- alternating at irregular intervals with depression, which is often severe. Many people with mild bipolar disorder are incorrectly treated for depression, often with poor results.

What causes bipolar disorder?

While the exact cause of bipolar disorder is unknown, it is believed to be a result of the confluence of a number of biological, physical and environmental factors. Although the disorder is not hereditary, it does tend to run in families. Children who have a parent or sibling with bipolar disorder are four to six times more likely to develop the disease than those who do not. Other contributing factors include childhood trauma and severe psychological stress. Children who suffer from anxiety disorders are more likely to develop bipolar disorder later in life.

The incidence of bipolar disorder in children and adults has increased dramatically in recent years, but by far the largest increase has occurred in children. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, nearly 40 times more children were diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2012 than in the any of the preceding 5 years. This statistic may be misleading, however, reflecting a more aggressive approach to diagnosing mental illness -- especially in children -- rather than any actual increase in the prevalence of the disease.

What are the symptoms of bipolar disorder?

The symptoms of bipolar disorder vary, but the hallmark symptoms are mania, or extreme excitability, alternating with periods of sadness or withdrawal. Children with bipolar disorder may appear very sad for no apparent reason. They may cry a great deal; have difficulty making friends or express thoughts of suicide or a pre-occupation with death. Other behavioral signs of bipolar disorder include:

• 
  Complaints of non-specific health issues, like stomach aches or fatigue


• 
  Problems concentrating


• 
  Failing grades


• 
  Agitation, trouble sitting still or extremely high energy


• 
  Difficulty sleeping


• 
  Nightmares


• 
  Excessive, incessant talking


• 
  Extreme irritability, getting into fights with siblings or peers


• 
  Increased interest in sex


• 
  Increase in high-risk behaviors - speeding, shoplifting, or other run-ins with law enforcement


• 
  Alcohol and/or drug abuse

Of course, all of these behaviors can occur in normal pre-pubescent children and teens, which is why bipolar disorder in children is difficult to diagnose. The severity of the moods and the suddenness of changes may be the only clue that something serious is wrong.

How is Bipolar Disorder Diagnosed?

The diagnosis of bipolar disorder is based on a number of factors, including family history, recent symptoms, and a physical exam. While there is no blood test or other diagnostic test for the disorder, your doctor will first examine your child and do a number of laboratory tests to rule out any physical cause for his symptoms. If none are present, he will refer you and your child for a psychological exam.

Bipolar disorder can masquerade as any number of psychiatric and neurological illnesses, including schizophrenia, major depressive disorder (unipolar depression,) post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), to name just a few. Physical problems, such as brain tumors and metabolic disorders like diabetes can cause similar symptoms as well. Nevertheless, a pediatric psychiatrist will undoubtedly be able to provide you with both a diagnosis and a plan for treating your child.

How is bipolar disorder treated?

There are many available treatments for early onset bipolar disorder, but early intervention is the most important factor in controlling the disease. Successful treatment usually involves a combination of medication and psychotherapy, which has been shown to be much more effective than medication alone. The mood stabilizer lithium and the atypical anti-psychotic medicines resperidone and aripiprazole are the only medicines currently approved for use in children with this disorder, although effective new treatments are introduced every day. Antidepressants,like fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil) and sertraline (Zoloft) usually are not recommended for children and adolescents, since they greatly increase the risk of suicide or suicidal thoughts.

Early onset bipolar disorder is a serious mental illness, but with early intervention and treatment your child can lead a long and happy life. Contact your physician if you suspect your child may have this or any other psychiatric disorder. You also can obtain additional information and resources by visiting National Institute for Mental Health.

Health Insurance Coverage For Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder is a unique affective syndrome marked by severe pathologic mood swings from hyperactivity and euphoria to sadness or depression. Some patients suffer from acute attacks of mania only. In many patients, manic episodes emerge over a period of days to weeks. Untreated episodes can last as long as 8 to 12 months, with some having an unremitting and unpredictable course.

Bipolar disorder is surprisingly common, affecting 3 million people within the United States, however it is difficult to diagnose. The disease is equally prevalent in both females and males. Females are more prone to have depressive episodes while males experience more manic episodes comparatively speaking. Approximately half of all patients with this disorder have difficulties in work performance and psychological functioning.Onset of the conditions usually occurs or manifest between the ages of 20 through 30, however symptoms have been reported in late childhood and early adolescence.

Contrary To Popular Belief Not All Applicants With Bipolar Are Turned Down For Health Insurance.

There is sufficient evidence statistically proving that insuring a patient with Bipolar Disorder does comprise a higher medical loss ratio for the insurer, negatively impacting its financial prowess while retaining assumed liability by absorbing the cost of an expensive regime of healthcare treatment divided equally between prescription medication usage and behavioral lifestyle contingencies.

Problem Number One: The Drugs.

Widely used to treat Bipolar Disorder, Lithium proves highly effective in relieving and preventing manic episodes. The drug curbs accelerated thought processes and hyperactive behavior without the sedating effect of antipsychotic medicine. In addition, it may prevent the recurrence of depressive episodes, however it is still ineffective in treating acute depression.

Lithium has a narrow therapeutic range, so treatment must be initiated cautiously and the dosage adjusted slowly. Therapeutic blood levels must be maintained for 7 to 10 days before effects appear; therefore, antipsychotic medications often are used in the interim for sedation and symptomatic relief. Because lithium is excreted by the kidneys, any renal impairment necessitates withdrawal of the drug.

Valproic Acid is an alternative to Lithium for those who do not tolerate it. It is especially helpful in rapid cycling courses of Bipolar Disorder. Carbamazepine is helpful in the treatment of mania but it is not formally approved by the Food and Drug Administration for Bipolar Disorder. Anti Depressants occasionally are used to treat depressive symptoms however these drugs may trigger a manic episode.

Medications to treat Bipolar Disorder are expensive and constitute a lot of contraindications that can lead to many co-morbidities leaving the insurer to pay the tab.

Problem Number Two: The Uncertainty.

As far as the behavioral contingencies there is only one plausible way to evaluate the risk assessment appropriately which is to utilize a questionnaire screen against electronic medical records.

Applicants diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder are sometimes insurable but require careful screening to determine the extent and severity of their condition. Here are some useful tips on answering underwriter questionnaires successfully to get approved without inevitable riders and exclusions.

Health Insurance Underwriting Questions.

(1) When was the applicant diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder?

Answer: As a general rule the date is not as important as there is no definitive period of medical clearance for this condition as a guideline. What underwriters are really looking for here is if there was an incidence requiring hospitalization. If being hospitalized was not documented then most likely there will be no formal request for medical records from the physician who made the diagnosis official. In this case the farther back it was diagnosed the better.

(2) When was the applicant's last acute episode?

Answer: The insurer is primarily concerned on gauging or measuring estimated probabilities of inpatient and outpatient stay. If there is such a medical history on file then there is a frame of reference to go by as far as calculating cost and determining an appropriate rate. If there was an incidence call the physician and ask him or her to document notation in the record of progress before submission of the application.

(3) What medications are being used to treat the applicant and how well are they working?

Answer: Pharmaceutical databases have a registry on file with prescription medication usage, dosage, and frequency consumed on each patient so a good idea is to terminated the prescription and have the physician give the quantities during the office visit.

(4) Is the applicant gainfully employed and living independently?

Answer: The underwriter wants to know if there are any other factors affecting the applicant's insurability. A simple employment verification will usually be all that's required to confirm an applicant is responsible enough to pay premiums and not indulge to often in deviant behavior. Prior notice to the employer of a possible interrogation from the health insurance company is a prudent measure.

These techniques have worked many times to get approved for a major medical heath insurance plan with applicants diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. If you or some one you know has been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder and is facing difficulty in obtaining quality health insurance, please visit our website at http://www.health-insurance-buyer.com and leave your contact information. One of our licensed agents will contact you at your discretion and help you with all your needs.

Bipolar Disorder, Rapid Cycling

Bipolar Disorder, Rapid Cycling is generally defined as a condition of bipolar disorder, when the individual experiences four or more episodes of hypo/mania and depression, in spite of the different patterns and combinations in which they may happen. Bipolar Disorder Rapid Cycling is a mental illness in which the person experiences two extreme opposites of behavior, hypo/mania and depression.

It is likely that more than half of the persons afflicted with Bipolar Disorder experience Rapid Cycling at the start of the mental illness.

Bipolar Disorder, Rapid Cycling refers to the occurrence of four or more episodes of hypo/mania and depression within 52 weeks. If four or more episodes happen within four weeks, this state is known as an ultra-rapid cycle and if the occurrence of the episodes is fast and a number of of them occur within weeks, it is known as ultra-ultra-rapid cycle.

There may be different types of Bipolar Disorder, Rapid Cycling that have to be taken into account to fully appreciate the meaning of the term. An extreme form of Bipolar Disorder, Rapid Cycling is known as a 'switch', the person may sometimes move from one extreme to another; let's say from mania to depression without an intervening normal phase. A person may have two switches in a year, or one switch and two episodes separated by a phase of normal behavior. The person may experience periods of normal behavior when mania and depression are absent.

The Rapid Cycling episodes and their frequency may occur in many different combinations and patterns because of different causes, but are included under the broad term of Bipolar Disorder.

Most people think the term Bipolar Disorder, Rapid Cycling is not helpful to describe specific patterns of the episodes. The different patterns of the episodes of mania and depression have different treatments and therefore should be called by different names.

Persons with Bipolar will go through an irregular pattern of highs and lows that play on their emotions. The highs are called episodes of mania.

During the episodes of mania, there are a number of symptoms that can be observed: a person may feel tremendously happy and positive; a feeling of exhilaration; overblown self esteem or ego; poor judgment; fast speech; excessive thoughts; you may feel agitated and aggressive; problems concentrating; problems sleeping;

You are easily distracted; have problems accomplishing tasks and take unnecessary risks.

Persons that go through the mania symptoms of bipolar will change into the depression side. These symptoms can include the following: feeling very sad; you may be irritable and lose your temper easily; feeling of hopelessness; you may be very tired; don't care about completing tasks; lack appetite and lose weight; lose interest in daily activities; unable to sleep; guilty or feeling all is lost; thoughts of suicide.

A person afflicted with Bipolar Disorder, Rapid Cycling usually exhibits varying degrees of moods, such as normal behavior to hypo/mania to depression and again to hypo/mania; though the level of severity of hypo/mania, depression and normal times may differ every time.

Have a great day,

Paul Mackie

What Are The Symptoms Of Bipolar Disorder?

Exploring the Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder

The very first step in dealing with bipolar disorder and those that have it is to get a good understanding of the symptoms. There are four different type of mood episodes, each with their own unique symptoms.

Mania

• Person feels all-powerful. May have hallucinations or delusions of grandeur.


• Euphoria - feels excessively optimistic, on top of the world.
  


• Extremely irritable - angry with aggressive or provocative actions.
  


• Restless - unable to concentrate, easily distracted.
  


• Unusually talkative - talks fast, feels a need to keep talking.
  


• Less need for sleep - goes for days on very little or no sleep.
  


• High risk behavior - pleasure seeking, involvement in high risk actions like sex, drugs, gambling, etc.
  


• Extremely energetic - feelings of creativity and increased productiveness.
  


• Aggressive behavior - rudeness, causes trouble.
  


• Poor judgment - reckless, impulsive, no idea of abnormal behavior.

Hypomania

• Milder form of mania - less severe, not as difficult to function normally.
  


• Euphoria - feels productive and energetic.
  


• Can do day-t0-day activities - no delusions or hallucinations.
  


• Very agreeable - may seem to be in an usually good mood.
  


• Often turns spirals into a full-blown manic episode, followed by major depression.

Depression

• Fatigue - loss of energy, may move and speak slowly.
  


• Depressed - hopeless, sad, feels empty.
  


• Loses interest in previous pleasurable activities - sex, hobbies, social activities.
  


• Restless - unable to sit still, nervousness.
  


• Change in sleep pattern - oversleeps or has insomnia.
  


• Weight and appetite changes - may have significant weight gain or loss.
  


• Problems with memory - can't concentrate, difficulty making decisions.
  


• Feelings of worthlessness - very critical and hard on themself, dislikes self.

Mixed Episodes (Mania and Depression)

• Full blown symptoms of both mania and depression.
  


• May alternate between the two extremes or suffer affects of both at the same time.
  


• Mixes irritability and the low moods of depression with the agitation of mania.
  


• Combination of high energy mixed with depression make suicide a high risk.

Bipolar: When Routine Is Interrupted and Depression Sets In

I have noticed from research and my own personal experience that if your wife loses routine that is probably going to be a great start in the pendulum swinging for either a mania or depression episode. Routine is extremely important (often very challenging to achieve) in a person with bipolar disorder. Even the slightest routine changes can really throw off someone with bipolar disorder. A few simple examples would be, the holidays, going on vacation, getting the flu or a cold, and trouble sleeping. It is very often simple out of ordinary routine that starts a snowball effect towards an episode. We obviously don't have the ability to keep everything constantly in perfect routine. That is simply not a part of reality, things happen, vacations occur, and our bodies get sick. We must help our wives when routine is lost.

HERE ARE THE THINGS YOUR WIFE MUST DO DURING ROUTINE BREAKS AND INCONSISTENCY

• Keep taking medications, try to take medications at the same time every day. Help them stay consistent so that they are less likely to miss doses and fall into depression.


• Make sure that they are getting adequate rest. If they stop sleeping well that is a tell-tale sign that something is off.


• Make sure they don't overdo it on caffeine or alcoholic beverages


• Take all necessary steps to keep as much routine as possible and a minimal change if possible.

It is not uncommon for Bipolar people to become depressed after being sick, going on vacation, or having company in town. Follow those steps mentioned above with your wife to help prevent such vulnerability to mood problems after a change in routine. The most common episode that follows routine breaks, is depression.

 

Depression

Depression in Bipolar Disorder is usually more than just a few days of feeling low. In fact usually the type of depression experienced in bipolar patients is "clinical Depression". This Depression often includes some or all of the following symptoms.

CLINICAL DEPRESSION

• Sadness/unhappiness


• Low/no self-esteem


• Zero motivation


• Negative thinking


• Irritability


• Weight loss


• Loss of appetite


• Low/no sex drive


• Fatigue


• Worry/anxiety


• Suicidal thoughts

Even mild depression can seriously interrupt one's life. Major depression can interrupt work, home life, school, and all different types of relationships. This time can be extremely painful for the depressed and also the family and friends of the depressed person. The duration of clinical depression varies from person to person but is not uncommon at all to last for months on end. Depression is extremely disruptive because it affects the brain so substantially that it can if serious enough affect the body and makes the person physically ill as well. Clinical depression usually is shown in two different types of forms. It is usually brought out in the person either being unhappy and mean, or clingy, sad, and overly emotional. Both forms of depression are parts of clinical depression and both can be overwhelmingly difficult on the husband. The husband tends to feel unable to help their wife in any way.

Causes of Bipolar Disorder - Tackle the Illness From the Root Cause

What causes bipolar disorder? This question is hard to answer given that doctors have not done that much research yet on this subject. We already discussed that they have reason to believe the illness is genetic since it is common among previous patients that have had one member of the family suffer from it in the past.

However, some believe that there is a chemical imbalance in the brain. There could be too much or too low levels of norepinephrine that is the cause of cause bipolar disorder. When these are too high, the person will suffer from mania episodes and when these are too low, the person may experience depression.

Another group believes that this may be the result of a premature death of the brain cells especially those that deal with emotion and mood thus causing someone to suffer from mood swings.

People who suffer from bipolar disorder will experience episodes during the day and more often in the following weeks. The episodes are frequently set off by "triggers." Some of these have already been identified so let us talk about them.

Since bipolar disorder can happen later on in life, it is possible that severe stress can trigger either mania or depression in a person. It can get worse by turning into one of the many types of bipolar disorder or just stay that way for the long term.

A major life-changing event may also cause someone to suffer from bipolar disorder. This could be an accident, getting married, going to college, starting a new job, retiring, coming home from a war and a lot more.

Substance or alcohol abuse is another trigger. Studies have shown that illegal substances like amphetamines, ecstasy, and cocaine can trigger mania while alcohol and tranquilizers may trigger depression.

Bipolar Treatment - Cognitive Behavioral Therapy As a Treatment For Bipolar Disorder

In bipolar treatment, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (or CBT) centers on the pattern of behavior in patients. The goal of the therapy is to teach the patient to change negative or harmful thoughts and actions. It involves two main components; cognitive therapy deals with the negative thoughts. Behavior therapy deals with the patient's relative behavioral reaction.

Primarily, in cognitive behavior therapy, therapists guide patients through some methodical approaches to recognize their negative and often distorted ways of thinking or perception about the things around them, which allow them to analyze their pattern of thinking. They encourage these patients to test the reality or validity of their negative thoughts, whether they are true or not. This, in turn, would allow them to reconstruct their ways of thinking into something realistic and positive.

Thoughts control a person's view of things and situations. A faulty perception will naturally produce faulty judgment. Therefore, in bipolar disorder patients, their negative thoughts become their reality. However, once a patient's capacity to make good reality testing has improved, he can spot situations where he acts unusually or does possible self-damaging actions and thus, helps him stop harmful or potentially harmful behaviors.

Challenging negative thoughts is an arduous process of discovery, examination, and testing perception but patients acquire coping strategies, which help them minimize the severity of their mood swings, and reduce the effect of their illness on their social or work relationships. It gives them an encouragement to continue their medication since they are getting positive outcome. It leads to the patient's having the ability to function normally and eventually develop a systematic plan to avoid a relapse, which could be more disastrous.

Thus, CBT becomes more appropriate bipolar treatment for stable patients, particularly those medicated patients who can openly talk about their disorder.

7 Tips For Managing a Bipolar Disorder

Recognizing the symptoms of bipolar disorder in yourself or someone close to you is an important first step. After that, you might ask yourself, how do I cope with this?

Here are some suggestions that have proved helpful for others with bipolar disorder:

1. Very important - regulate your sleep habits! Getting enough is important but it is even more critical to keep to the same schedule. Go to bed and get up at the same time every day, even on weekends. Bad sleep habits may cause cycling.

2. Eat your meals on a regular basis, without skipping. Try not to overeat, but have a balanced meal.

3. Get some exercise daily. Find an activity you like, bicycling, walking, swimming, etc.

4. Do not take street drugs and consult your doctor about drinking alcohol.

5. Make a list of behaviors that signal the beginning of an episode. Whatever it is: carelessly spending money, inability to sleep, etc... if you are aware of it you can have a head start on getting help. Your doctor may be able to adjust your medications to stop a full-blown episode.

6. Enlist the help of your family or those close to you. Work out a plan for what to do if you do go into a mood swing. It could be a lot of help if they are familiar with what doctor to call or if you may need to be hospitalized.

7. Psychotherapy or talk therapy has proven to be very helpful. Very positive results have come about from a combination of medication and psychotherapy.

Recognizing the symptoms of bipolar disorder is the first step to understanding it. Read about the symptoms of the different moods here: http://understand-bipolar.blogspot.com

This article is for informational purposes only. Please seek medical advice from a qualified professional.

Information About Bipolar 1 Disorder - Bipolar Type 1 Disorder

Bipolar 1 Disorder, conjointly referred to as manic depression, may be a mental illness caused via a variety of things together with neurological, biological, emotional, and environmental factors. Bipolar 1 Disorder is sometimes characterized as mood cycling from manic, or extra happy, moods to glum, or extra sad, moods.

Several people aren't aware that in the last few years doctors have begun diagnosing bipolar disorder as two totally different types, primarily based on how the moods cycle within the patient. Bipolar 1 Disorder, also referred to as raging bipolar disorder, is diagnosed when the patient has at least one manic experience lasting a minimum of a single week or possibly even longer. Bipolar disorder type two, conjointly known as rapid cycling bipolar disorder, is diagnosed while the patient has at least one manic episode and one depressive event inside four days to one week.

Hypomania is a severe type of mania that typically occurs in Bipolar 1 disorder patients. This situation happens because the patient is sort of constantly up; the normal state for the patient is one of mania. Thus, disposition cycling in this disorder sort one patients often involves mania combined with the disposition change. Mania combined with mania creates hypomania. Hypomania additionally will be among psychotic symptoms like the patient turning into delusional or having hallucinations. This can be a very simplistic manner to explain how hypomania & assorted episodes happen.

Mixed episodes also typically occur with Bipolar 1. A mixed episode is difficult to elucidate to the final. It consists of being both happy and sad, up and down, all at the identical time. Generally, this translates into the patient being terribly depressed emotionally, however displaying symptoms of obsession like inability to concentrate & lack of sleep.

Intermediate personality disorder is essentially not quite as universal and not quite as renowned as bipolar. Borderline personality disorder accounts for simply roughly twenty percent of hospitalizations for mental illness each year, despite the fact that bipolar merely accounts for all but fifty percent of hospitalizations. Intermediate personality disorder is as a rule widespread in young teens, whereas bipolar is equally regular in both men as well as women, and every age groups. Borderline personality disorder and bipolar patients equally experience mood swings which may perhaps necessitate intense outbursts, depression, or nervousness. On the other hand, even as bipolar patients classically phase through these moods all the way through a stage of weeks or even months, borderline personality disorder patients might suffer bursts of these moods which can last only one or two hours or a day.

Bipolar 1 Disorder is the most widespread sort of bipolar disorder, & the foremost treatable. Because this disorder sometimes manifests itself in the shape of long manic periods with presumably one or two short depressive periods each year, treatment choices are abundant and more simple. In view of the fact that mania requires one sort of medicine and depression requires another sort of medication, the flexibility to treat solely mania makes finding effective medications a lot more simpler task. Mood stabilizers are also quite effectual with Bipolar 1, while not the employment of mania or depression medications.

The symptoms that the Bipolar 1 patient experiences can include the type of mania medicine used to manage the extreme moods. In situations of gentle however continual mania, lithium is the prescription of choice. But, in cases in which mixed mania or hypomania are constantly there, a stronger prescription or anti-psychotic, like Depakote, is usually prescribed. Symptoms of depression with bipolar II disorder include decreased energy, unexplained weight changes, feelings of despair, increased irritability, & out of control crying. Symptoms of hypomania include sleeplessness, racing thoughts, distraction, excess energy, and rash judgements.

Bipolar 1 disorder is additionally the likeliest candidate for treatment through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy also known as (CBT). This is as a result of the patient is generally usually during a state that permits them to easily focus their mind on rationalizing situations, recognizing triggers, and suppressing grave episodes. But, whilst the patient exhibits symptoms of hypomania, as a few Bipolar 1 disorder patients usually do, cognitive behavioral therapy isn't as helpful during these episodes.

Overall, Bipolar 1 disorder is definitely controlled through acceptable treatment & medications. If you live through several symptoms of Bipolar 1 disorder you must make contact with your medical doctor to form measures for diagnostic testing and to talk about psychoanalysis options. In the end, the patient is held responsible for their own sickness, & thus, their own therapy.

Bipolar Disorder - Your Mood and Relationships

Bipolar disorder is characterized by unusual mood swings ranging from extreme elation (happiness) or mania, to bouts of depression. Relationships with such persons can be a strain with confusion and frustration for them and their loved ones. If you are a bipolar person, you might downplay the effect your temperament and mood has on your family, colleagues and friends, but the truth is those two elements at each point will determine how you react to everyone around you.

An irritable mood is a key symptom of the disorder, and the negative feeling you send out could come back to you because people around you who are not aware of your condition as well as those who are may send the wrong signals in their attitude towards you.

Your total attitude in terms of your words, tone of voice, and body language can be misread and attract negative response. Silence is golden only when appropriate as silence and a lack of communication can be just as hurtful as words. A lack of communication and a feeling of aloofness is not the mood you need to be in as others would like you to care.

As a bipolar person, if you are married, your relationship with your spouse can become quite strained during your changing moods. You may wonder if your marriage will survive. Statistics show that bipolar marriages have a 40 percent failure rate. Only ten percent of bipolar marriages survive. That statistic should not be the nail in the coffin of your marriage. You must fight to make your marriage work. Here are 3 tips to save your marriage:

1. Involve your spouse in counseling. The two of you should seek this together and help yourselves sort out the issues you are experiencing. You will learn from a trained therapist about how to relate with your partner. The therapist should be knowledgeable about bipolar disorder and its effect on marriage.

2. A time out is a necessity for a bipolar relationship. This is because of the daily strain for both parties. A vacation together will provide a break away from the ups and downs and rejuvenate your relationship. A spouse should also understand that the bipolar person needs time on his or her own too, however, this should not be for too long for obvious reasons. You could also go with a close family member or friend for support.

3. The key in any marriage is understanding. You need to tolerate and forgive each other. Forgive regardless of if your spouse asks for it or not. The bipolar husband or wife will remember he or she has your unconditional love and that will encourage him or her to focus on the treatment.

A positive frame of mind will lift the spirits of anyone around you. Show love, care, a smile, and an acknowledgement when needed. This applies to people other than your spouse too. Be thankful and be considerate of other people's feelings and in return people will see you as a person and treat you kindly. If you want to be remembered as a happy and likeable person despite your condition, then be aware of the depressive and moody attitude around you. People are bound to absorb and reflect your moods therefore try to radiate positive energy which will help you cope with everyday life and build healthy relationships.

How to Explain Your Bipolar Disorder to Children

A parent's bipolar disorder can be frightening and overwhelming to children, who are often left to figure out for themselves how to cope with their scary parent.

Parents who have bipolar disorder typically worry about the effect of the illness on their kids, but there is little information available about how to reduce the impact.

It's doubly difficult because bipolar disorder is an inherent, built-in part of you as the child's parent.

Here are some ways we can help children cope with our bipolar disorder and grow up normally.

• Drip-feed information in small dollops on demand. Keep updating your explanation as the years go by and the children's understanding increases, as you may do with sex education.


• Answer questions openly in a way that invites further questions. Answer the question and do it truthfully, fully and honestly. Then be prepared to answer any follow-up questions. Eventually you will get a look that says 'enough info for now, thanks.' Let the child determine the end of the conversation.


• Avoid lectures, where you talk and the child listens. Use everyday occurrences as opportunities to make brief comments on the run. This technique reduces bipolar disorder to a normal everyday matter-of-fact thing.


• Give bipolar a nickname. In my workshops for bipolar sufferers and their supporters I run a fun exercise where we all think of a nickname for our bipolar disorder. Calling it 'Bertha' or 'Gerry' allows us to separate ourselves from our ill-selves, and even laugh at it. That's an important activity for children, too. Find out from your child if they have a nickname for it, or encourage them to think of one. Ask them to tell you or another trusted adult when they see Bertha or Gerry arrive!


• Have fun with your children: plain, no-cost play time together. Tell the children their job is to have fun, and not to be concerned about you.


• Expect to have to change. As children grow and their capacity for understanding increases, they will tend to make requests of you. Negotiate this as you would with an adult, and if you can make a change in your behavior, try to do so.


• Set aside your own embarrassment or shame so you can talk frankly about your behavior when you are ill. The easiest way to do this is with the nickname: you can say 'It wasn't me, Bertha did it,!' After all, when you were ill you were 'not yourself'. (That is not to say you're not responsible for doing your best to stay well!)


• Apologies for your behavior when ill are not necessary. Instead, say you wish it hadn't happened, and focus on what the child observed and felt during that time.


• Allow the children to see the best of you. Children do what parents do, not necessarily what they say. You have to agree that sometimes bipolar behavior is not the type of role model you want for your kids. You can model responsibility, healthy self-criticism, admitting your own shortcomings, determination to live well, and refusal to admit defeat. From your example, your children will learn how to overcome setbacks in their own lives.


• Finally, if your bipolar is causing you to act as a parent in ways that you do not approve of then seek assistance from professionals who understand and accept bipolar as an entity. Your doctor or psychiatrist, for example, rather than social workers and psychologists who may not be educated about mental illness.

We all want the best for our children, but it's important to recognize that all children are impacted upon by events beyond their parents' control. Don't waste time grieving about something you can't change - just enjoy your children while they grow.

Bipolar Disorder Symptoms - 6 Factors That Can Trigger Bipolar Symptoms

Bipolar is a condition in which there are extremes in moods and life experiences. There is no doubt that bipolar is a health condition that is serious and disabling to those that have it. It is a mental illness and it does require necessary treatment.

Unfortunately, neither doctors nor scientists understand why or what causes bipolar to happen. But, they have some ideas of what could be behind the way you feel.

Most believe that it is a combination of factors that lead to this condition including environmental, genetics, and biological factors. Doctors believe that these conditions not only cause the onset of bipolar in people but also control when the episodes that you experience happen and how frequently they do.

While is still not possible to answer WHY bipolar disorder symptoms happens, it's already possible to know six factors that can trigger or prolong mood episodes in individuals predisposed to this condition.

Factor 1 - Stress

When severe stress happens to an individual predisposed to bipolar disorder, mood disorders can be triggered or prolonged. Emotional traumas like

Factor 2 - Substance Abuse

Substance abuse doesn't cause bipolar disorder, but can trigger mood episodes. Drugs such as cocaine, ecstasy, and amphetamines can trigger mania, while alcohol and tranquilizers can trigger depression.

Factor 3 - Major Life Event

Major life events (good or bad) like getting married or losing a job can trigger new mood episodes.

Factor 4 - Seasonal Changes

There is often a seasonal pattern in mood episodes: manic episodes are more common during the summer, and depressive episodes more common during the fall, winter, and spring.

Factor 5 - Sleep Deprivation

Sleep Deprivation (even few hours) can trigger mania episodes.

Factor 6 - Medication

There are some medications that may induce mania episodes. Over-the-counter cold medicine, caffeine, corticosteroids, thyroid medication, appetite suppressants and antidepressant drugs. If antidepressants are necessary during a depressive phase, they must be prescribed with a mood stabilizer to avoid mania episodes.

You now know some of the factors that can trigger (or prolong) mood episodes in individual predisposed to bipolar disorder.

If you suspect that you or someone you care about is suffering from this syndrome, you should learn the signs and symptoms to weight the need to seek out medical attention.

An early diagnosis and treatment can offer the best chance to improve your condition. Although there is no cure for Bipolar, just yet, there are many ways in which you can improve your chances of living a long and happy life.

How Does Music Therapy Relate to Bipolar Disorder?

"A mental disorder is a classified as a clinically significant behavioral or psychological syndrome that occurs and that is associated with present distress or disability or with a significantly increased risk of suffering death, pain, disability, or an important loss of freedom." (Peters, 2000). Although mental disorders may have a variety of manifestations and degrees of severity, they all are characterized by persistent, abnormal patterns of problem behaviors. These clients are sometimes described as having behavior disorders or behavioral disorders. Mental illnesses and disorders traditionally have been classified into two broad categories of neuroses and psychoses. A neurosis is a mental disorder primarily characterized by anxiety. This anxiety may be experienced directly and be the main manifestation of the disorder or it may be unconsciously controlled or modified to produce other distressing symptoms. A psychosis is a more severe mental disorder that is primarily characterized by loss of contact with reality. Individuals who have psychoses have delusions, hallucinations and an impaired ability to test reality. For many, a mental disorder can hinder a person from keeping a job, family, relationships and sanity. The psychiatric problems that occur in adults are more likely to be associated with the stresses of everyday adaptation or a more chronic reaction resulting from distress over a longer period of time. What many people don't know is that someone can in fact live a relatively normal life with the help of many therapies, such as music therapy to be specific.

"Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks." (2008). Symptoms of bipolar disorder are severe. They are different from the normal ups and downs that everyone goes through from time to time. Bipolar disorder symptoms can result in damaged relationships, poor job or school performance and even suicide. But bipolar disorder can be treated and people with this illness can lead full and productive lives. Bipolar disorder often develops in a person's late teens or early adult years. At least half of all cases start before age 25. "In the acute phases of their illness, adults who have mental or behavioral disorders often display behaviors of intense confusion, agitation, excitability, fearfulness or withdrawal. They have a need to learn and develop positive coping mechanisms to deal with the stresses and responsibility of daily life." (Peters, 2000). Some people have their first symptoms during childhood, while others may develop symptoms late in life. For example, Maria is a seventeen year old who has been suffering with bipolar disorder for two years. Her ups and down cycle average from two to three months. For the first couple of months, she is in a hypo maniac state where she goes out everyday, shops, spends excessive amounts of money, wears make up and loses a large amount of weight. The next couple of months she locks herself in her room, binge eats, gains weight, cries and completely cuts her connections with the outside world. Due to this unstable cycle, she has dropped regular school and had tried to take up homeschooling, lost all friends, unable to work for an allowance and feels worthless and hateful toward herself most of the time. Her battle with bipolar disorder has made it impossible for her to continue therapy for longer than a month at a time.

"During a depressive episode, the person has a persistent depressed mood (most of the day and nearly everyday) and several other symptoms such as diminished interest in activities that are generally enjoyable, changes in appetite or weight, changes in sleep patterns, agitation or lack of energy, feelings of worthlessness, difficulty concentrating, and thinking clearly and thoughts of suicide. Symptoms may develop at a time of personal crisis but people can also feel depressed for no apparent reason." (Davis, 1999). Most of the time, the symptoms can be nothing mysterious and can have a minimal effect on a person's life. But, overtime, the episodes can get increasingly worse for longer periods of time. In a severe state, a person can become psychotic and the episode can last for up to six months if it is left untreated.

"During a manic episode, people may have decreased need for sleep, their thoughts may race and they may be extremely talkative. They may engage in wild spending sprees or take on unrealistic tasks." (Davis, 1999). For the most part, a manic episode can be just as hurtful to a person as a depressive episode, if not more. During these times of feeling up and energized, it may seem that a person does not need their medication and that can lead to many more issues to a person with bipolar disorder. While treating these times, it can also help the person from not making poor decisions and having to deal with the repercussions later on during a depressive episode. Many of these symptoms are also present in a hypo manic episode. A hypo manic episode is similar to a manic episode, but the symptoms may be experienced to a lesser extent and do not normally affect a person in their daily life.

"Music therapy is defined as a planned, goal-directed process of interaction and evaluation of individual client's specific needs, strengths, and weaknesses, in which music or music-based experiences are specifically prescribed to be used by specifically trained personnel to influence positive changes in an individual's condition, skills, thoughts, feelings, or behaviors." (Peters, 2000). It is a process that takes place over time and involves growth, change, and development. The process of music therapy may include various musical, creative, artistic, therapeutic, developmental, educational, interpersonal, behavioral and scientific components as music therapist and client interact over time in both musical and non-musical areas. Under the direction of a trained music therapist, the music based experiences become potent therapeutic tools that can predictably and effectively influence positive changes in an individual's condition, skills, thoughts, feelings or behaviors. Once a client has been assessed, evaluated, and individual therapeutic goals have been formulated, the music therapist designs a series of specific music and rhythm-based experiences that will help the client reach these goals and objectives. Music therapists often work directly with other professionals on medical or educational treatment teams. When they work in teams, these specialists meet together and decide how to coordinate their services in a way that will best help the client meet certain therapeutic goals. Treatment for psychiatric disorders often involves a combination of approaches and interventions including a structured environment, a regime of medication, a variety of psychotherapeutic interventions and a program of activity therapies. It is important to remember that individuals with mental disorders are unique and no one treatment or combination of treatments will be right for every person in therapy. Therapists who follow a humanistic approach give unconditional acceptance to the client with genuine caring, acceptance, understanding, and respect. The therapist helps the client move beyond defenses and mental or emotional blocks to confront the basic questions of life, find meaning and move to a higher level of functioning. Therapeutic techniques are experimental, oriented to building a trusting relationship, and are designed to help the client make choices, build an internal frame of reference and take personal responsibility to find purpose and meaning in life.

There are many songs that can be beneficial for people with bipolar disorder to listen to when going through a difficult time in their life. When choosing songs in a therapy environment, it is important to look at the lyrics to see if they are sending the right message to the clients. Some songs that would be beneficial for a therapist to use in a session are Keep Breathing, Empty Bottle, and A Birds Song by Ingrid Michaelson, It's Only Life by Kate Voegel, If No One Will Listen by Keri Noble, Angel by Sarah McLaughlin, Amazing Grace, Beauty From Pain and Stand in the Rain by Superchick, Hope and Joy, On I Fight by Joy Ike, Give it Time by Jon McLaughlin, Keep Holding On by Avril Lavine, Lean on Me by Bill Withers, and Quiet Your Mind by Zac Brown Band. Each of these songs has inspiring lyrics to keep therapy enjoyable and encouraging. For relaxation purposes the songs Keep Breathing, Amazing Grace, and Angel are an excelled choice because of their simple melodies and graceful accompaniment that will enable you to focus on what is going on with you and will also enable you to do simple movement exercises. The songs Beauty From Pain, A Birds Song, Keep Holding On, On I Fight, Give It Time, If No One Will Listen, Quiet Your Mind, and It's Only Life are a good choice for encouraging clients because of the lyrics saying how things will get better and how you have to keep pushing through all of the hard times that are in a clients way. The remainder of the songs is just good to have in therapy because of the messages that they give through the lyrics.

In conclusion, bipolar disorder can have crippling effects on people's lives, but with music therapy, there can be hope. The field of adult psychiatry deals with preventing and treating mental, emotional and behavioral disorders in adults. Although psychiatric illnesses and disorders may vary greatly in severity and exact type of symptoms manifested, they all are characterized by persistent, abnormal, patterns of behavior. Music therapy is a non-invasive way to make connections with a therapist and communicate without being in an environment where it can be intimidating. With the right interventions and a good relationship with a therapist, the road of therapy can be very successful.

Bipolar II Disorder - Do You Suffer From This Mild Form of Bipolar Disorder?

If you have bipolar II, you should consider yourself lucky. Bipolar II is defined as a person having at least one incidence of depression in their lifetime, in additional to one episode of hypomania, an excited state.

As opposed to bipolar I, bipolar II doesn't interfere with your working schedule, due to a lack of severe manic episodes. Some symptoms of bipolar I include, hypersexuality, hypomania, and mild depression.

1.) Hypomania

Hypomania can also be quite pleasant, and offer you a boost in your productivity. People in a hypomanic state will be happy and very sociable, the life of any party.

2.) Hypersexuality

Hypersexuality is an increase in sexual desire, which can lead to indiscretions such as affairs or promiscuous encounters.

3.) Mild Depression

Someone with bipolar II will have down swings in mood, but these usually aren't so severe as to affect work. Maybe you will feel tired after work for an entire week, or lack the energy to conduct your usual hobbies. Generally, mild depression will not force any major lifestyle choices.

Bipolar II can usually be treated with fish oil, such as the omega-3 at your local drugstore, and therapy can be used to understand your feelings, and learn to control impulses.

Some forms of therapy that can help include social rhythm therapy, which can help you maintain a regular schedule, as well as behavioral therapy, which can teach you to maintain a healthy body and eschew crutches like alcohol and tobacco. Two other forms are light therapy, which uses full spectrum lighting to treat depressive symptoms, and cognitive therapy, which can help you think positive thoughts and overcome irrational depressive thoughts.

What to Expect With Bipolar Disorder

You have just been diagnosed with Bipolar disorder. It can be devastating to you and your loved ones. It can be treated with medicine and a great knowledge of the disorder. You can say that it is a mood disorder. It is also known as manic depressive disorder. This disorder runs in the families.

Symptoms may include feelings of hopelessness, wanting to sleep all the time, irritability, inability to concentrate, suicide. You might even lose your job because of these.

There are three types of bipolar disorder. Bipolar I; you are more manic than depressed. Bipolar II; you are more depressed than manic. And bipolar III; you can be both manic and depressed. Once your psychiatrist determines which one you have, you can start your treatment plan.

Some of the treatment plans could be counseling, group therapy, medication therapy and hospitalization. Bipolar disorder is a chemical imbalance in your brain. To keep yourself stable you need to continue taking your medications for the rest of your life. Most bipolar patients stop taking their medications once they start to feel better. Don't do that. You must take your meds for the rest of your life.

You will start to feel better once the medication takes hold, but don't stop taking them. This will lead to relapses hospitalization or suicide. Teens that have bipolar disorder seem to want to commit suicide (if not treated) than grown adults.

Medications vary for bipolar disorder. It can be Lithium, the oldest and well known medication. It is known as a mood stabilizer. Another one is Topamax. It is an anticonvulsant drug. It is new and will help control the ups and downs of bipolar. There are many out there. Talk to your psychiatrist; work out the plan that best suits you.

This is going to be a life style change for you and your loved ones. First and foremost stop drinking and taking illegal drugs if you do. This will only cause negative consequences and can make this disorder worse. Surround yourself with upbeat, positive people. They will help you and will not lead you into bad things.

Exercise, exercise. The more the better. When you exercise, your brain releases chemicals (endorphins) and that makes you feel good. Watch your diet, eat good, healthy foods. Get plenty of sleep. If you have trouble sleeping, talk to your doctor. He might recommend something to help you sleep.

You may want to try alternative medicine, though you must talk to your doctor first. The medical field is not sure if these work or not. We all have heard of St. John's Wort. This helps with depression, but can also cause more severe mania in some people. Yoga may help you in depression and mood swings. Maybe get a massage, it loosens up those muscles and can make you feel a lot better. It will release a lot of your stress. The list goes on and on. Again, check with your doctor before doing anything out of the norm.

On a final note, be truthful with your doctor. Tell him everything, leaving nothing out. The only way he can help you is to know what's wrong with you. Tell them what medications you are on, do you smoke or drink.

A Basic Description of Bipolar Disorder Or Manic Depression

Bipolar disorder-also commonly referred to as "manic depression" or "manic-depressive disorder"-is a mental illness which is caused by a disorder of the brain. Individuals who suffer from this mental illness experience severe mood swings that can cause detrimental behaviors which are not only harmful to themselves, but agonizing to their loved ones as well.

In many cases the families of the individual who has this disorder often find it very confusing and attribute their actions to just bad behavior or poor judgment and perceive it as something which the individual can control simply by modifying their behavior or lifestyle.

Extreme Mood Swings Caused by Bipolar Disorder

Individuals who have bipolar disorder experience extreme mood swings ranging from extreme "highs" to extreme "lows". The "highs" -which are called "manic episodes"- cause them to be overly excited or euphoric and can lead to detrimental behaviors such as spending money excessively or promiscuous sexual activities.

The "lows" or "depression" experienced by those with Bipolar Disorder results in the symptoms of depression, reduced energy levels, restlessness, and could result in thoughts of suicide. These variations in mood swings are what make the diagnosis of bipolar disorder very difficult as these individuals can sometimes experience short episodes which can appear to be just a phase or another form of mental illness.

The Different Types of Bipolar Disorder

There are various types of this mental disorder of which all include the primary symptom of mood swings. When an individual experiences a "manic episode" at least one time in their life, this condition is known is called "bipolar I". In individuals who experience both the manic and depression episodes in variations overtime, this type is known as "bipolar II", however, in bipolar II the individual never reaches a full state of "mania".

Another type of these disorder is referred to as "rapid cycling" where the individual is experiencing episodes of both mania and depression three to four times per year. Mixed bipolar disorder is when an individual experiences these mood swings simultaneously or one right after the other. Cyclothymia is a milder form of bipolar in which the individual experiences the symptoms of bipolar disorder but to a lesser degree.