I know it’s one that both villainized and sensationalized by media, I want to know what it’s really like and not some fear-mongering missinformation a lot of people spread. Thanks
In: Biology
Bipolar disorder can be broken down based on the word used to describe it. Bipolar involves moods on two sides of the spectrum: mania and depression. Disorder is when there is dysregulation of mood mediated by a chemical imbalance in the brain. Honestly though, it’s similar to did the chicken come first or the egg.
The chemical imbalance may have started it or it may have been a consequence of something that happened in the environment. Triggering the genes causing mania. This is known as epigenetics. I’ve done a fair bit of research so all the other comments are pretty spot on when it comes to describing the symptoms, but where it comes from is a question that even doctors can’t answer for sure. That may be the reason why there’s a lot of fear mongering and misinformation.
It’s something no one person truly understands. Like physical illness, mental illness and disorders like bipolar disorder are often referred to as purely medical (ie. DSM-5). But I truly believe this is a wrong approach. It also has a lot to do with coping mechanisms used to adapt to trauma, later turning out to cause an imbalance in the brain leading to dysregulation of mood long enough for it to become a disorder. That’s my take on that. As someone who got diagnosed 6 years ago and have been looking into ways to heal without medication (I’m still on medication cause I’m scared mania will happen again). The highs are very high, but the lows are very low and in my case happened simultaneously. I wouldn’t wish it upon my worst enemy, cause the actions from then have affected my life up until now negatively. I’ve been in remission and have improved since, but my life took a turn that I never in a million years expected. Hope this helps give you first hand perspective on what it’s like to have bipolar disorder.
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