I have bipolar disorder, and I know the basic theory of the disorder, but it would be great to know a little more in depth. What is really going on in a Bipolar's brain? Are there any significant physical differences? My doc said the EEG test showed some strange patterns, but she never explained what it meant. I'm on medications, and I see a shrink, but apart from the superficial stuff, I don't get any answers to my questions. I've tried google, but it's very hard to find answers. I wonder why not only my mood changes, but my entire personality. It affects my opinions, relations, long term goals, amount of empathy and so on. It's almost like I have multiple personalities, but still fully aware of it. This is regardless of my mood. The reason I'm asking is because I read the thread about ADHD, and I was amazed by the good answers and explanations. Capo
Hi. 'bipolar disorder'?..phony. doesn't exist. is made up by people msquearading as scientists. who seek to impose a 'normal' consensus of acceptable bhaviour, No wonder you doctor was vague regarding yor perfectly understandable interest in her diagnosis of your 'disease' which as i say is a BOGUS daignosis because 'bipolar disorder' does not exist AS a disease or anyting else. IF you had had a proper disease, like -god forid-cancer. do you tink there would be ANY confusions about what they tell you you have? NO Cn i recommend you seek this person out. He is much more expert than me about all this, and i find him very approachable. If you car to contact Fred Baughmann he surly wll put yourmind at reat about tis. sorry you -like many others/cpunting-have been lied to, and made to feel theres something wrong wth you....check him out!
Well, Tom Cruise, bipolar disorder does exist. Believe me, I would not have been around without my medications. The mood swings are severe, and that's not just something in my imagination. The reason my doc don't give me any details on why my EEG tests where abnormal is because they don't know exactly what the reason for this is. That's one of the reasons I ask in this forum. Maybe someone would know anything about EEG tests. I did not write this thread only to be flamed and told that my problems are fake. So please, go elsewhere with that scientology crap.
Yes, I too have a bipolar problem and must fight through the manic depression to stay alive at times. Medications are very useful to some but I don't take any for that disorder but I should I know. It is a disease that is very harmful and should be delt with by specialists that know about these things.
Hello, Capo Crimini, Yes, you will do quite well to completely ignore Duendy. She actually know nothing - and even worse, what she thinks she DOES know all came to her during LSD trips. Ok, enough of that. I hope that I can help a little because this fits within one of my chosen professional fields. EEG tests are commonly run on BP patients but the results of the tests are very mixed and conclusions are often not clear. It's much more common today to do CT scans and MRIs. What they show in most cases is an enlarging of the lateral ventricles which indicates a reduction in the brain's mass. There are also indications of changes in deep tissue as well as a small reduction in the temporal lobe volume. None of these tests have yet given any direct evidence of what action to take to help but are merely diagnostic tools used to help confirm the presence of the BP disorder. But the work is still ongoing. Currently, the best tools for diagnosis are still interviews of the patient and family members. As you have already indicated, the mood swings can be very acute and are readily recognizable. Do you have any particular questions in mind that I might could help with? Hopefully, your doctor has covered most of your concerns but I'll be happy to assist you if you like.
Light, thank you for the reply. I have a few more questions. Does bipolar disorder affect intelligence or abilities in any way? Personally I sometimes feel the urge to do something creative, especially between mood swings. The funny thing is, I tend to suddenly possess abilities I would usually never have, like drawing. When I look at pictures I've drawn in this state of mind, it seems like the work of another person. Usually I can't draw beyond the level of a 6 year old kid. My parents was almost shocked the first time they saw the pictures. Some people might say this is a product of hypomania, but I'm very calm and focused at that moment. I can sit for hours just looking at the paper and draw. I don't think at all. It just happens. It's like cheating in a game, things just come easy, and there is no challenge at all. I wonder about the physical long term effect. Does it affect my lifetime? What about the brain, does it evolve in any way? How does Bipolar disorder affect empathy? Does antisocial behavior sometimes come with BP? That's a lot of questions, I know. But thanks again. Capo
I believe there is such a thing, my friend Jake had it (different from my other, schizophrenic friend). I met him in his manic phase when he hired me for his business. During this phase, he started businesses, wrote press releases and got in the paper, made lots of money, took on the house payments of a friend, sculpted numerous statues, made a pet of a racoon, and generally was very active and happy. I met him again later on and it turned out he had psychotic episodes where he thought people were putting car bombs under his car and in his VCR, lost his house, became homeless, alcoholic, and was generally depressed. Then he got on several medications and got much better. When I spoke to him last, he had a nice apartment and his own animal training business and an art business. It's not just a conspiracy by psychologists to promote a certain definition of "normalcy". Even the sufferers of Bi-polar disorder know something is wrong with them.
Please do not waste space on this forum with non-sense. You are no doctor and I doubt you know anything in-depth about the human mind and how it functions. Bi-Polor disorder is very real and I strongly doubt someone who can barely type a correct sentence knows more than the entire medical community. Keep dreaming buddy.
They are all reasonable questions and I can see that you've already guessed some of the answers. And that's very good. The good news is that there's absolutely no evidence that BP leads to a reduction in intelligence. And there IS some evidence that indicates people with BP can have bursts of creativity during the transition period - the neutral period in the "middle of the swing" you might say. One theory is (and it's only a theory) that the mind is freed from the extreme tensions it's been experiencing and can focus on what it really wants to deal with. Your experience with drawing is fairly common though the period generally does not last as long for most people. Somewhere around three hours, possibly four, is near the average. People with BP can expect a full, normal lifespan as long as they continue taking their medication. But right here is where a problem often arises. It's not at all uncommon for the patient to feel that they no longer need the medication and will often stop taking it. Then they can endanger themselves by taking risks and doing other things that they wouldn't do otherwise. Especially when they are at either of the extremes. Even though MRIs and CT scans seem to indicate a loss of brain tissue, there's never been any evidence that brain functions have changed in any way other than the BP condition being present. Yes, unfortunately antisocial behavior does manifest itself in many people. And there can be a broad range of actions that are usually labeled "inappropriate behavior." And once again, those generally appear at the extremes of the swings. It's fairly easy to see why they happen in the depressed extreme but in the manic mode it's a result of exuberance and something akin to euphoria. Again, they "feel so good" that they do things they would not otherwise. Looking back over your list, I believe I've covered everything. But I'll still be glad to try and help with anything else. And I truly hope that I helped a little here.
Hi! I would like to hear you guys (with bipolar) speaking more about that prblem. I never understood very well what is bipolar, so i want you to say what is like to have that problem. Sometimes i wonder if i have that or if is just depression (fortunatly, depression its being beated in the last months/year): sometimes i am depressed or just very tired with no strenghts for anything. Other times i will get with will for doing many, many things. I want to learn new things, create many projects, start a new life, etc. Then, after a few days, the will for doing such projects wil disapear for complete, even if i am not exactly depressed. I wonder whats going on. Bipolarit is like that?
Interesting story, spidergoat Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! BP has a lot of negative sides to it, but it is SO fun to be in a manic state, as long as it doesn't lead to suicidal gestures or attempts. (Many bipolars commit suicide during mania) It varies from person to person. In my case, the mania is all good Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Kazabadan: A bipolar person has extreme mood swings, mostly both ways. Only a professional can tell if you are really bipolar. From what you are writing about your happy periods, it sounds more like the relieve of not being depressed, rather than a state of hypomania or mania. In mania you loose control of your own impulses, and people around you will describe your mood with words as "extreme" or "crazy". It goes far beyond normal. But if you really think you are bipolar, you should go see a psychiatrist for further analysis.
Ok......if that's te respect i et from you for sincerely sharing my view bout tis wit you i will get the hell outta here. but just let me say this. i m NOT a scientoloist. i fukin hate scientology. i had an aquaintence in te 70s get sucked into that cult. actually he made me --before he joined in--a par of amazing hi fi speakers which i still use........however, just because they are a bogus cult in their own right, tis does't take away their insight--right in my view--aboutte myth of mental illness. If you want to--if anyone ants to takemedication, i have no problem wit tat at all. what i am firmly against is a pseuoscience which pretends that behaviour considered non acceptable is a biological disease. there is NO scientific proof of this! UNTIL there IS it is pseudoscience....quackery, false. and people are being misinformed. I am not saying you dont feel what you do, but i am sayingit is not a proven biological disease, as is cancer, etc. Now te amalgamation of government, th pharmaceutical industry an psychiatry etc are even targeting our children. see how the sudden growth of te 'biological disease', 'ADHD' has effected more and more children. parents TOO will argue and get all irate like you by people saying what i do--which includes professionals. but rightous indignations isn't proof
When I'm have a good time it is very, very good and I'm ecstatic then I go way way down feeling like commiting suicide at times and feeling that there's no tomorrow. The swing takes a long time though, sometimes up to 3 months to go from high to low but there's a very big differece between the two periods. I have battled through those times and now am settled in at knowing when the swings are happening so that I can fight the depression time much better than before but i'ts still a big problem.
That's a fairly short reference but a very good one. Thank you for posting it, I believe it explain a good deal that the average person does not know. Also, I'd like to point out something from that article that few actually know about. It's the period of time between extremes. For some reason, the general public seems to believe that for people with BP it's a simple reversing pattern that alternates regularly between the two states. That just isn't true at all. They do become more frequent with age but there can - and often are - periods of times that range from months to years between extremes. Often times there can be several periods of depression without a single instance of mania. And it's one of the things that can easily lead to misdiagnosis. Also, when that happens, the diagnosis is generally one of depression.
psychology is hardly a pseudoscience. and disorders are not based on what is 'acceptable.' disorders cause a person to act a way that is not normal and detracts from their quality of life. it is not a disease, or we would call it such. there are a few who will diagnose incorrectly, but that doesnt mean that they are all wrong. your conjecture that bipolar and adhd diagnosis is based on cultural normalities is ignorant. you do not know the reasons and symptoms that cause a psychiatrist to diagnose a disorder. there is scientific proof that something irregular is occuring in the brain of people with psychological disorders, and the medication attempts to put these irregularities in balance so that the person is has a greater ability to think with clarity.
If there's a BI-polar disorder, does that mean there might be a TRI-polar disorder, too? How 'bout a QUADRA-polar disorder? Maybe we can just keep inventing new and wondrous diseases for everything and anything?! Baron Max
In my case, I can sometimes go approximately a couple of weeks (or a month) without any symptoms. It's hard to deal with when the mood swings are very frequently though, but this is also an individual matter. Frequent mood swings are also known as "rapid cycling". I don't think anyone has the same mood swings pattern, but by all means, correct me if I'm wrong. Capo
