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What is Bipolar
Disorder?
Bipolar Disorder is a treatable medical illness
marked by extreme changes in mood, thought,
energy, and behavior. If you suffer from Bipolar
Disorder this online support group could serve
as an excellent adjunct to your treatment
program. It is also
known as manic-depression because a person's mood
can alternate between symptoms of
mania and
depression.
Who does it affect?
Bipolar Disorder affects more than two million American adults.
Effective treatments are available that greatly
reduce the symptoms of bipolar disorder and allow
people to lead normal and productive lives.
These changes in
mood or "mood swings" can last for hours, days,
weeks, or even months. Unlike people with clinical
depression (the "lows"), most people who have
bipolar disorder talk about experiencing "highs"
(mania)
and "lows."
What Causes the Mood Shifts?
Abnormalities in
brain biochemistry and in the structure and/or
activity of certain brain circuits are responsible
for the extreme shifts in mood, thought, energy,
and functioning that characterize bipolar
disorder.
Bipolar I
Disorder
Considered the most severe form of Bipolar, it is characterized by one or more Manic
or
Mixed Episodes,
usually accompanied by Major Depressive Episodes
and psychotic features.
Bipolar II
A diagnosis of bipolar
II disorder is made when a person has experienced
at least one
hypomanic episode but has not met the
criteria for a full manic episode.
Cyclothymic
Disorder
Cyclothymic disorder, a milder form of bipolar, is
diagnosed when a person experiences, over the
course of at least two years (one year for
adolescents and children), numerous periods with
hypomanic symptoms and numerous periods with
depressive symptoms that are not severe enough to
meet criteria for major manic or depressive
episodes.
Bipolar Disorder
with Rapid Cycling
Bipolar disorder with rapid cycling is defined as
four or more episodes of illness within a 12-month
period. This form of the illness tends to be more
resistant to treatment than non-rapid-cycling
bipolar disorder.
Anyway, if you suspect you have bipolar disorder
check out the website. It is full of
information. Please join our
online support group.
I am sure that the site will be quite
informative if you are here to
find out if you or a loved one has bipolar. I want
you to find the light as I have.
Please also check out the
Recovery section on how to take care of
this illness.
Causes
The cause is believed to be hereditary and
biological in nature, along with psychological and
environmental factors such as stress. The primary
culprit implicated in the manifestation of bipolar
disorder is stressful life events.
Diathesis-Stress Model
What they has been found through research in a more
definitive fashion is the
"Diathesis-Stress Model." The word diathesis
means, in simplified terms, a bodily condition
that make a person more than usually susceptible
to certain diseases. Thus the Diathesis-Stress
Model says that "each person inherits certain
physical predispositions that leave him or her
vulnerable to problems that may or may not appear,
depending on what kinds of situations that person
confronts" (Bernstein et al., 2000).
-Tristine
Resources
Bipolar Disorders Information Center
DBS Alliance-Great Bipolar
Site!
Bipolar for Significant
Others-Great Site
Last Update
February 1, 2009
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