I’m a 17 year old female and am amongst the still short-term strugglers of bipolar disorder.  But despite only having had problems for a little over two years, my symptoms have been quite severe – almost to the point where I cannot imagine myself struggling with the disorder for much longer.

I don’t want to keep struggling with this into my adulthood, because I want to be normal, and I want to pursue fading dreams and become a successful adult with a successful job and a successful life. I’ve never had a relationship and wish to be loved and to love as someone who has confidence being themselves. But even though I wish for all this I know that mental and psychotic disorders cannot be cured as easily with meds or other physical procedures. It’s much more complicated than that.

I live on a 404-hectare farm at Tullamore, 125 kilometres south-west of Dubbo in central-western New South Wales. My husband Steve and I moved here from the Snowy Mountains in 2002 to escape the cold winters.

My husband works as an electrician and I look after our two children, as well as help run the farm. We have a girl Emily aged 10 and a boy Andrew who’s seven. My daughter Sammie from my previous marriage is 19 and in the Navy.

We are growing wheat and are anxiously hoping this crop will come through. We run 100- or so head of sheep (which is less than we used to have!) It’s a small farm compared to some of the others out here.

I’ve been living with Bipolar Disorder since being diagnosed at the age of 14. My mother also has the condition.

I grew up in Sydney and was a typically difficult teenager. I used to have deep bouts of depression and my mother and I didn’t have a good relationship. She took me to her psychiatrist and I continued to have the same doctor as her for my treatment for a long time. I get along much better with my mum since I moved out of home at 18. I didn’t tell anyone about my condition back then because that’s not what you did.

I’ve tried a number of different medications. It has always been a challenge to manage my Bipolar, to stay in the middle of the see-saw. I had to wean myself off one older medication, the side effects were so bad.

I try and have a healthy lifestyle but it’s very hard at times. I try not to get too hyper. When I get together with family and there’s alcohol around, I can be very hyper, although I know I shouldn’t.

It’s also a struggle getting enough structured exercise when you become a parent, I know I should but I never seem to get the time. With my first marriage, we moved to the Snowy Mountains and I was more or less a fulltime mum. When my first marriage broke down it was very difficult, the depression really hit hard and I felt ‘lost’ for quite some time. But luckily I found a wonderful caring man whom I married a few years later.

It’s the co-morbid conditions that go with my Bipolar that add a new challenge. Headaches and migraines fall into that area. When you have a co-morbid condition like that, it can really add to the depression. I have intracranial hypertension, which is basically too much fluid around the brain, and that was giving me daily headaches, punctuated with migraines, until we got it a bit more under control.

One of the therapies that help me to cope is oil painting. I took it up four years ago, mainly do landscapes. The sky is so big out here and the sunrises and sunsets are amazing. I also like to paint the red earth colours. They’re very inspirational.

I’ve been part of group shows but had my first solo exhibition recently in the Hunter Valley. I sold eight paintings on opening night – and then it rained for three weeks straight so no-one else came! It really does so much for your self-esteem when people like what you create so much that they want to buy it. Some of my works are still on display in the window of the newsagent in our town.

In 2003, I took the step of going public about my condition. I was on a chat site about depression called BlueBoard. We were all anonymous people, talking about depression. I thought: ‘No-one knows my real name – why the hell not?’ So I told my story to the Rural Women’s News newsletter, The Country Web. That resulted in the same article being reprinted in my local paper.

The reaction was great. People told me I was being so brave. One lady I knew from the local area came up and said she had Bipolar Dis order too.

I was also asked to be part of a book called Daring to Dream which is about inspirational rural women. I’m not that inspirational compared to the other women in that book! Funnily enough, two of them turned out to be members of the same artist’s group that I’m a part of.

The thing I’m about to be involved in is speaking at a women’s health day, being organised as part of drought relief. I’ll be talking about Bipolar Disorder and really jumping in with two feet! My doctor thinks it will be good for me.

It’s always difficult accessing health services in the bush but I’m luckier than many people as we’re only 15km from town. I have a GP and there’s a psychologist who comes through every fortnight, by arrangement with the local doctor. I’m seeing her about once a month.

I think GPs do have a role to play in dealing with mental health issues, but they have it particularly hard in the bush compared to the city doctors. They have to know more about everything. My GP has to go away when he takes holidays rather than stay here, otherwise he’d be on-call at home 24 hours a day.

I’m very into researching health issues on the Internet. Sometimes my GP asks me for the websites I’m quoting so he can check them out himself.

I feel a lot more in control of my Bipolar these days. I have great support around me. I used to have incredible mood swings; very deep lows and then highs. As I get older, I seem to manage better. These days, my swings are less a tidal wave than a series of ripples. I know when I’m “up there” that I’m going to come down. I look back and wish that when I was young, I knew what I know now.

This IS a life sentence. These mood changes can also occur while the bipolar is on medication, but if the meds are even close to being right, the mood shifts are not usually as severe. Part of the frustration is in getting the meds adjusted to bring any sense of normalcy to the bipolar’s life. This process can take years for many. There are a fortunate few who get the right medication mix soon after their diagnosis. It’s a crap shoot, really, because all bipolars are different, have different combinations of symptoms and their chemistries react differently to different medications. Just to add more complication to the medication situation, meds sometimes stop working altogether and need to be readjusted. Meds are often readjusted to keep up with inevitable swings, which is why bipolar patients must be monitored.

Imagine dealing with such a ridiculous roller coaster ride on a sometimes daily basis. Bipolar disorder is a life sentence but does not have to be the end of the world. Medications and psychotherapy make life for most bipolars manageable, as long as they continue to keep up with the maintenance on a daily basis. Survival of bipolars takes a great deal of work on the bipolar’s part and patience on the part of their loved ones. It is not easy, and many bipolars lose the support of loved ones because it is so emotionally difficult to deal with. Bipolar disorder is not a death sentence or hopeless with the proper care. It can actually be a personality asset that adds a litle bit of spice to the lives of all involved.

When someone is diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, often his reaction is, “Is this a life sentence?” While the disorder is a life long condition, it need not be a “sentence”. Bipolar can actually be fun.

How, you may ask, do I dare say Bipolar Disorder can be fun, when thousands of people with the disorder commit suicide daily, ruin relationships, go into psychosis, and other terrible things? If one stays on his medications and takes good care of himself, in terms of exercise, diet, and the proper amount of sleep, Bipolar can be a great advantage. People with Bipolar are generally more creative than the average person, and this can translate into a wonderful life.

If the person with the disorder, called the “consumer”, rather than the “patient”, is careful to build a good foundational support system, then life can be manageable. First, of course, there is the medications and the relationship with the prescriber, who is typically a psychiatrist.Good communications between these two can bring about fast corrections of episodes, a more creative way to dealing with unpleasant side effects, and generally a higher rate of medication compliance.

A good therapist is worth his weight in gold. Often, in the bipolar mind, there are times when the thinking become totally irrational, and a good therapist can guide the consumer through these times with tactics the two of them have worked on over the years that have proved useful. It is impossible to “talk someone out of” a manic state, but it is possible to remind him of previous commitments made in therapy as to what he will do when this condition appears.Therapy is just as important during the good times, as during the hard times. The consumer and the therapist make plans to keep the consumer safe, should he become suicidal, or have checks in place should the mania begin to get out of control.Dealing with the mood swings is hard on the consumer, and having this relationship gives him an outlet to find support.

Another support for a consumer is a support group. Here, the consumer finds people who speak his “same language” and understand what he is talking about, or how he feels. To know that one is not alone, and that others do and say and think the same kinds of things, is not only reassuring, but is comforting.So often consumers isolate, and then feel like the odd ball in the crowd. In a support group, he can find equality and acceptance.

During the up times, a consumer can often accomplish more work, more creative projects, and generally is just more productive. These are the times to capitalize on, and to do one’s best work, for when the down times come, he may be much less productive. Even someone who is doing all the “right things” : medications, therapy, support groups- the mood swings can still come, though at a much lesser degree.

One of the hardest things to do is to regulate one’s sleep patterns. Consumers enjoy staying up late and not waking up on time in the morning. But a consumer who can consistently put his nose to the grindstone, and goes to bed at the same time and gets up at the same time every day, does far better than the ones who sleep only when they feel like it. The consistency in the consumer’s life is what is important. The more stable the lifestyle, the more stable the person will become. This is asking a lot from the consumer, as it is asking him to give up what he naturally feels and craves.

Is Bipolar Disorder a life sentence? It doesn’t have to be. Many consumers have gone on to live quite happy and creative lives with the disorder. It just depends on what the consumer wants. A roller coaster ride, or a life.

According to John-Hopkins University, almost 2% or the population suffers from bipolar disorder. Edgar Allen Poe, Vincent Van Gogh, Virginia Woolf and Winston ChurchillƒT are only some of the more distinguished group that fought this disorder in their lifetime.

Bipolar disorder is a complex psychiatric disorder. It affects the neurotransmitters of the brain, causing emotions to short circuit. The disease (bipolar is a disease) can hibernate for years within the body.  Then suddenly bipolar disorder will strike, putting the victim into either a manic stage, or one of unexplained euphoria.

Bipolar Depression:

Bipolar depression goes by other names: depressive mania, manic stupor, agitated depression.ƒU The difference between a normal depression and one brought about by bipolar disorder is that when someone is depressed because of something that has gone wrong in their life, they go about trying to fix it.

Those afflicted with bipolar depression become paralyzed in their depression, unable to pull themselves out of their depressive state. Many people fighting bipolar depression will attempt to harm themselves. 15% succeed in committing suicideƒV.  Without seeking proper medical intervention, the victim will remain in a depressive state.

Bipolar Depression Symptoms:

Bipolar despression symptoms can include:

• Sleep disruption- insomnia, or hypersomnia (sleeping too much)
• Significant changes in body weight
• Feeling worthless and sad
• Feeling guilty
• The inability to feel pleasure or happiness
• Feeling agitated
• Withdrawing from those around you
• The inability to focus and concentrate
• Periodic loss of short-term memory
• Indecisiveness
• Loss of sex drive
• Constipation
• Headaches
• Fatigue

In the psychosis state the symptoms are:

• Hallucinations
• Delusional thinking
• Catatonia

In this extreme stage without treatment or intervention, the patient will die.

Bipolar Disorder Diagnosis:

Care needs to be taken in diagnosing bipolar disorder; for there are a few medical reasons why patients may be acting out of sorts, or developing a manic personality.

The American Psychiatric Association has published a manual called Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders or the DSVM IV. This manual is the resource tool for clinicians to turn to in diagnosing psychiatric disorders. The DSVM also contains statistics and general guidelines dealing with each category of psychiatric disorders. Although this manual is available in good reference libraries, it is not meant for self-diagnosis.

The DSM takes bipolar disorder and breaks it down into two categories. Bipolar I and Bipolar II; bipolar I contains mania and depression.

Bipolar II encompasses people who are depressed but who also suffer from hypomania (elevated mood swings, decreased desire to sleep, rapid thought patterns and other symptoms).

There is no test for bipolar disorder. No blood evaluations, x-rays, personality tests exist that will pinpoint who has bipolar disease and who does not. Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder. The person afflicted can swing from one end of the mood chart to the other at a moment¡¦s notice.

It is also known as the disease that sleeps, because it can suddenly just hunker down and hibernates; waiting for the next inopportune time to strike. Bipolar disorder is hereditary according to the latest studies. There is no known cure, but there is treatment to lessen the effects.

Bipolar Disorder Treatment:

Originally Lithium became the drug of choice to treat bipolar disorder. Now other mood disorder drugs are available.

Which drug someone with bipolar disorder will be prescribed is strictly up to the clinician. Drugs such as Depakote, Tegritol, Lamictal, and Gabapentin are now on the table to help stabilize the moods of the patient. Talk to your doctor about all the possible side-effects of these drugs. Keep taking the drugs until your doctor tells you otherwise. Those who discontinue treatment will suffer relapses.

Bipolar disorder is not confined to any particular group of individuals. Bipolar knows no boundaries, racial, geographical, religious, height, weight, sex, age, wealth, education, IQ etc.

Some people are genetically more predisposed than others but no one is exempt from the disorder so it is not surprising that there are famous people with bipolar disorder just are there are those at the opposite end of the spectrum doing time for not quite such honourable deeds

Many bipolar individuals lead highly successful lives excelling in whatever they choose to do. There are numerous examples from all walks of life. Bipolar individuals might face greater challenges than others but the drive and capacity to succeed is just as prevalent as in any other successful person.

The number of celebrities living with bipolar disorder in creative fields is interesting. Even though periods of depression cloud bipolar lives some like comedians Shecky Greene and Spike Milligan have beaten the odds and made it to the top making others laugh.

Successes abound in:

• Acting e.g. Patty Duke, Vivien Leigh, Burgess Meredith, Ned Beatty, Margot Kidder
• Writing e.g. Patricia Cornwell, Robert Munsch, Robert Lowell
• Music e.g. Ludwig van Beethoven, Gaetano Donizetti, Jack Irons, Jaco Pastorius, Charley Pride
• Sport  e.g. Jimmy Piersall (baseball) , Alonzo Spellman (football), Bert Yancey (golf)
• Finance  e.g. J.P. Morgan, John Mulheren

In fact an online search for famous people in virtually any field is likely to include celebrities with bipolar disorder.

Bipolar depression

Bipolar depression like any depression hampers ones ability to function socially, professionally and personally. hampers ones ability to function socially, professionally and personally. Depression and bipolar go hand in hand.

Depression is normally accompanied by feelings of sadness, loss of interest in normally enjoyable activities and a general ongoing feeling of hopelessness.

Bipolar disorder individuals fluctuate between periods of depression and elation sometimes with normal periods in between. With bipolar depression irritability and also agitation may be present. The depressive episodes are often shorter but the fluctuations into depressive states are more frequent and characterized by extremes in tiredness, food consumption and sleeping.

Depression alone can be managed with antidepressants but with bipolar depression mood stabilizers are an important component of bipolar medications. This is necessary to manage the swings in an effort to control the frequency and severity of the fluctuations. Antidepressants without mood stabilizers may activate mania or accelerate cycling between moods.

Long term management of depression with bipolar is vital. Risk of suicide is higher. The anxiety, irritability and hostility may lead to violent or suicidal behavior.

It is not unusual for bipolar disorder to be misdiagnosed as major depressive disorder, especially when the patient’s moods swing more in the depressed direction. Frequently, the patient will only mention the depression to the doctor because the manic episodes do not seem like an illness from their point of view. Also behavior symptomatic of the manic stage like hypersexuality is unlikely to be seen as a problem by the patient.

Additionally, people with bipolar disorder can be normal for long stretches of time before suffering either mania or depression.

Bipolar and lying

The association between Bipolar and lying

It is not an uncommon experience for those living or frequently interacting with patients of bipolar disorder to become aggravated at lies told by the bipolar person. Lying and bipolar disorder seem to go hand in hand for most manic-depressives and this association is grounded in more than one source.

Lying Out of Fear

One obvious reason for the association between lying and bipolar disorder is fear. Almost every lie is rooted in fear- the fear of some possible punishment. It is a matter of fact affair to be punished for mistakes or wrongs done knowingly or inadvertently. Denying one’s role, when caught, is thus natural. Manic-depressives are more prone to commit mistakes like reckless behavior, promiscuity, and extravagance. Contriving lies for apology is thus natural for manic-depressives.

Attention Gatherers

Bipolar patients have a craving for maintaining control over situations, and among family and friends, this need often takes the form of lying. By making false statements to different people, the manic-depressive assumes he is the gatherer of people’s attention and in control of the situation, since they dictate what people know.

Loss of Self-Control

During episodes of mania or depression – but particularly in mania — the patient’s conscious nervous system often loses control over what they say. In other words, a bipolar sufferer’s brain swirls out of rational control during such episodes. Whatever pops up in the mind is uttered, and hence the lies.

Hallucinations

Lying and bipolar disorder are linked by another fact. Bipolar patients often experience hallucinations. Mostly these are auditory hallucinations, that is, voices or sounds that no one but the patient experiences, and then tells others about. Certainly such stories are lies to those who hear them.

But other forms of hallucinations may also occur, like a manic-depressive complaining that some family member locked them in the kitchen, while the accused assuredly did no such thing. It is important to understand that in such cases, reality is different for the bipolar sufferer and they are simply telling what they believe they experienced.

Brain Chemistry

Certain chemical substances in the brain are known to induce mood swings. An important one of these is the neurotransmitter serotonin, whose low production can induce depressive episodes. Lovers of ice cream might recognize their cherished flavor as a mood stabilizer, because of the serotonin in the ice cream. Low serotonin in the brain of a bipolar patient is another reason for the connection between lying and bipolar disorder, as it triggers impulsivity in the patient and lies are a frequent result.

Whatever the reason lying can place a lot of strain on any relationship.

Living with bipolar disorder

Living with a bipolar disorder individual in the home can be a stressful problem for the family as they witness their loved ones engulfed in episodes of mania and depression.

The same factors that would pose threats to peaceful family life for any family pose greater risks when living with a bipolar individual. Alcohol and drug abuse, lies, reckless spending, rage, depression, hypersexuality, suicidal inclinations, and hallucinations all have the potential to upset family peace and integrity.

To minimize risk family, friends and sufferer need coping mechanisms. This usually boils down to rather more in the way of routine, organization, forward planning and a sense of humor than normal. There is no disputing the power of laughter to improve ones sense of wellbeing to elevate the mood and help keep things in perspective.

It is important to know that few bipolar patients are dangerous so there is no need to feel physically threatened. Assuming they have been correctly diagnosed and are monitored by health professionals the disruptions to normal family life will be minimized.

Disruptions are more likely if the person has not yet been diagnosed, or misdiagnosed, or for whatever reason doesn’t take the prescribed medications.

The best course of action for any support team is to seek help as soon as possible if the behavior of the individual is beyond what could be considered reasonable or normal even if the individual denies there being anything wrong and sees nothing unusual in their behavior.

Identify triggers i.e. stressful life events that are likely to spark the episodes of mania or depression. These might be memories of events like deaths, anniversaries, traumas, or the like. Keep a record of such events in your journal and learn to insulate your bipolar family member from them.

Living with bipolar disorder requires fighting not only your own irritation but also, and more importantly, the fears of the bipolar person. They have a craving for being in control of situations which is rooted in their fear of losing control and the attention of the family. With a lot of patience love and care family and friends can help abate these fears and provide help and support in social situations.

Manic episodes with psychotic features like hallucinations (voices, sounds etc) can occur with bipolar 1 individuals. What seems real to the patient might be construed as nonsense or bipolar lying to others. It is important to understand that “reality” is different for the sufferer who is simply recalling the experience as perceived. Acceptance of this relativism of reality goes a long way to curbing anger in such situations

Bipolar Disorder Can Affect Anyone

In 2003 there were nearly 100,000 Australians diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. Although it is most commonly recognised in young adults aged 18 to 24 years old (found in up to 1.2% of Australians in this age group) Bipolar Disorder can affect anyone regardless of age, sex, ethnic origin, income, education or occupation.

What causes Bipolar Disorder?

The cause of Bipolar Disorder is not fully understood. However it is likely that there are several factors at work. It seems very likely that there is a genetic component, but there is no simple biological identifier for the illness. More than 50% of people with Bipolar Disorder have at least one parent with a mood disorder.

However, genetics does not explain the whole story and there may be other contributing factors, such as biological rhythms and sleep disturbances, hormonal imbalances and to a lesser extent, environmental factors.

New brain imaging studies are revealing more about the changes that take place with the onset of Bipolar Disorder, and contributing significantly to the understanding of the causes, with the prospects for the future being more exciting than ever before.

Quick facts

There were nearly 100,000 Australians with Bipolar Disorder in 2003

Bipolar Disorder affects males and females in similar numbers

More than 50% of people with Bipolar Disorder have at least one parent with a mood disorder.

One third of Australians with Bipolar Disorder do not receive any treatment

About 70% of people with Bipolar Disorder will have a close relative (a parent or sibling) who suffers from either Bipolar Disorder or from depression.

Bipolar Disorder is an illness that results from an imbalance of chemicals in the brain, which can cause extreme fluctuations of mood from the heights of mania(elevated mood which may be out of character for the individual) to the depths ofdepression (persistent low mood). Everyone experiences happiness and sadness, however those that live with Bipolar Disorder feel these mood changes at an exaggerated level. The changes are often referred to as cycles or episodes.

Bipolar Disorder often goes unrecognised and there is good evidence that it can take up to 10 years for an accurate diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder. Earlier recognition of Bipolar Disorder is likely to offer the hope of more appropriate management strategies being initiated.