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Written by Samuel Grey
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What do the following famous people have in common? Ned Beatty, Jim Carey, Rosemary Clooney, Robert Downey Jr, Patty Duke, Carrie Fisher, Connie Francis, Vivien Leigh, Burgess Meredith, Spike Milligan, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Robin Williams, Ludwig Van Beethoven, George Fredrick Handel, Vincent Van Gogh, Ted Turner and Buzz Aldrin. The answer is: Bipolar Disorder.
Bipolar Disorder (also known as Manic Depression or Clinical Depresssion) is an illness that can seriously affect the sufferer’s quality of life, as well as the lives of their family and friends. Depression is not the only component of this debilitating disease, but drastic mood swings, negative energy and reckless behaviour puts Bipolar Disorder in a mental illness category of its own, and it cannot be compared to other depressive conditions. It is however caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain, like other depressive disorders.
As the name suggests, Bipolar Disorder is characterised by the patient’s mood swinging between two poles, i.e. depression (the low) and mania (the high) with normal periods in-between the two. The disease often starts in adolescence, although it has been known to appear in early childhood and in adult life. It is often first diagnosed as depression. A mood swing, high or low, can last hours, days, weeks and even months. Statistics show that Bipolar Disorder affects over two million people in the United States alone. The illness knows no boundaries and is found in all spectrums of race, class, culture or lifestyle. It has however been established that the disease is strongly genetic and is likely to re-occur in a family with a history of Bipolar Disorder. Men and women are affected equally.
A depressive mood swing carries the risk of suicide and other forms of self-harm, while a manic mood swings brings on feelings of euphoric happiness, a sense of power and the will to indulge in destructive activities such as frequent gambling, spending sprees or living the high life with little, or no, thought of the dangers or consequences involved. Angry or verbally aggressive outbursts, low self-esteem and feelings of guilt are also common symptoms of Bipolar Disorder. A small number of patients are even more productive and efficiently during a manic stage; however they are in the minority. Due to the fact that many sufferers of Bipolar Disorder smoke, it is thought that nicotine may be providing a form of self-medication because of its powerful effects on the brain. |
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