The Many Faces and Facets of Bipolar Disorder

The Many Faces and Facets of Bipolar Disorder – Full pdf file including pictures and personal stories

Bipolar disorder can show up in many costumes. It can be happy or sad, euphoric or desperate, energized or exhausted. It can party until dawn, unleash unparalleled creativity, and woo strangers. It can also terrify store clerks, drain bank accounts, and drive away loved ones. It can bring on the voices of heaven or hell.

More than two million American adults, or about 1 percent of the population age 18 and older in any given year, have bipolar disorder, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. The illness typically develops in late adolescence or early adulthood. It is often not recognized as an illness-instead chalked up to a personality quirk or diagnosed as unipolar depression-and people may suffer for years before they receive proper treatment.

Bipolar disorder is one of the most complex forms of mental illness-each case is unique to the particular patient. It’s not like the flu, in which the illness takes a predictable path, or even cancer, where a “cure” is always hoped for in spite of the unpredictability of the disease. There is no fail-safe remedy for bipolar disorder, and the symptoms of the diagnosis can often change throughout the life of the individual.
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10 Signs Your Friend or Loved One is Depressed

1. Always too busy to spend time with friends and/or loved ones.
2. Lying about everything, even simple things.
3. Running home to eat-something, anything-and lot’s of it because it’s their only comfort.
4. Forcing themselves to do everything because they don’t have the energy.
5. Unable to concentrate on much of anything.

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