"Bipolar disorder or manic–depressive disorder (also referred to as bipolar affective disorder or manic depression) is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood. These moods are clinically referred to as mania or, if milder, hypomania."
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Now when I first heard this definition I was more than a little lost so don't be surprised if you are left saying "what?". This all sounds like a lot of medical jargon and truth be told a little scary when we read things like "psychiatric" and "manic depression", there is a lot of negative connotation associated with these words. The important thing to know is that is doesn't mean you (or someone you know) is "crazy", at least not because they are bipolar!
From what I have come to understand this disorder primarily affects a person's mood and is often characterized by someone having extreme mood changes from good to bad and vise versa. However, this doesn't mean that every girl with a sudden case of PMS has bipolar disorder.
Someone experiencing a state of mania may do things that seem out of the ordinary for their typical personality, have grand ideas, or even go as far as thinking they can defy normal things like death. The other side of this disorder is the depression. For some people it can get so bad they can't get out of bed and at their worst may even consider suicide.
Now while this disorder can have some scary moments it doesn't mean that it can't be controlled. In fact, most people wouldn't even be able to recognize someone with the disorder who has things under control. I hope I am one of those people.
Now when I first heard this definition I was more than a little lost so don't be surprised if you are left saying "what?". This all sounds like a lot of medical jargon and truth be told a little scary when we read things like "psychiatric" and "manic depression", there is a lot of negative connotation associated with these words. The important thing to know is that is doesn't mean you (or someone you know) is "crazy", at least not because they are bipolar!
From what I have come to understand this disorder primarily affects a person's mood and is often characterized by someone having extreme mood changes from good to bad and vise versa. However, this doesn't mean that every girl with a sudden case of PMS has bipolar disorder.
Someone experiencing a state of mania may do things that seem out of the ordinary for their typical personality, have grand ideas, or even go as far as thinking they can defy normal things like death. The other side of this disorder is the depression. For some people it can get so bad they can't get out of bed and at their worst may even consider suicide.
Now while this disorder can have some scary moments it doesn't mean that it can't be controlled. In fact, most people wouldn't even be able to recognize someone with the disorder who has things under control. I hope I am one of those people.
Here is a great video that offers a brief overview of the disorder:
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