Understanding Bipolar Disorder - The Chaotic Mind

Understanding Bipolar Disorder - The Chaotic Mind

If you've ever ridden a hard, unsympathetic roller coaster ride, that feeling is probably close to someone living with the messiness of bipolar disorder. Because not only the person themselves, friends and family also suffer because their relationship is often burdened with uncertainty.

A person with bipolar disorder wakes up and begins a day with a high level of uncertainty. During one of his depressive episodes or a day of overexcitement when he is in a manic episode, suicidal thoughts may cross his mind. One can even fill a day with mixed episodes of depression and mania. This is the fact of a person living with this disorder.

Both manic and depressive episodes usually occur separately from positive or negative things and events in the person's life. To explain in detail: A person with bipolar disorder does not have a depressive episode because something bad or terrible happened to them. And even if there is anything that would affect the timing of an episode, it is most likely general life stress affecting the person. Periods of stress at work or home can disrupt the balance the person is trying to maintain.

When a person with bipolar disorder is involved in an episode, they usually have less control over their behavior and life than normal. This does not mean that someone with bipolar disorder is a vulnerable sufferer who has little chance of accomplishing anything. It's just that even completing simple routine tasks that would normally be easy suddenly becomes extraordinarily difficult during the duration of a manic-depressive episode.

What happens during a manic episode is a blurriness of activity and excessive excitement. Mania can cause feelings of self-importance, self-confidence, superiority, and poor judgment. People in a manic episode might do things they normally wouldn't do in their lives. You might suddenly have the urge to start a business, which can definitely be a good thing. However, if they get carried away during a manic episode, they can quit their job and start a business without proper planning or whatever. They may engage in risky sexual behavior that would not be usual for him or her, or even spend or gamble money that they cannot live without.

What happens during depression are the feelings of hopelessness and vulnerability. You have no desire to enjoy life, achieve anything or come into contact with people. They may go a day or two without eating because the food seems insignificant and irrelevant to them. Fighting suicidal thoughts is an ongoing, strenuous effort. These suicidal thoughts plague your mind regularly, even when you are not planning to attempt suicide or have decided not to commit suicide. Fighting these “thoughts” is annoying and frustrating. You may also have physical pain, such as: E.g. sore shoulders, sore neck or back. The physical pain that some people experience is described as being similar to the body aches that accompany the flu.

As anyone can imagine, living in one of these states of mind can be disruptive and chaotic. Try to imagine yourself living your life between these two extremes. When you are between episodes most of the time, it would be a challenge to try to regain your life, your mind and your self-confidence.

Inspired by Moses Wright