Today is Bipolar Awareness Day and it aims to create awareness about the disorder. Though a lot of people use the term loosely, there are many who do not understand what it truly means to be bipolar.
Bipolar is a mental disorder which is characterised by extreme shifts in mood. These mood shifts are accompanied by fluctuations in energy and activity levels and these moods do not change within seconds, but gradually over time.
Review speaks to a local resident, who prefers to remain anonymous, who knows the trials a bipolar disorder sufferer goes through each day.
She has the following to say:
“I was diagnosed with bipolar 14 years ago. It is not the death sentence everyone thinks it might be… In fact, it is the opposite. My problems and symptoms now have a name and I can get help.
The past 14 years was not an easy road. There were days where I did not want to go out. Getting up and getting dressed were hell. Other days I would be in an an ecstatic frenzy, energy unknown. On these days I would do stupid things like shopping and maxing out my credit cards.With the help of an excellent psychologist and psychiatrist I am now able to cope in every day situations and are living a normal happy life.”
Coping strategies:
– Don’t be ashamed of your disorder – Bipolar is not something to be ashamed of. Just as you cannot choose to have heart problems, you don’t choose to be Bipolar.
– Talk about it. Read about it. The more you know, the better you will understand.
– Stay away from alcohol and over-the-counter medication.
– Eat healthy. Even if you do not have an appetite, try to eat.
– Exercise regularly.
– Get someone that you trust to help you make the correct decisions in life. When you are either manic (extremely happy) or depressed (extremely sad) try not to make important decisions.
– Get someone who is fully informed about the problem and its manifestations to assist you when you are ‘not feeling yourself’
According to The South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) Bipolar Disorder can be mistaken for normal, everyday shifts in mood and energy levels, the regular ups and downs of daily life. But Bipolar Disorder is not ‘regular’. “People with this disorder experience unusually intense fluctuations in emotional states,” explains psychiatrist, Dr Frans Korb.
“These emotional swings usually occur from the overjoyed highs of a manic episode to the crushing lows of depression, and people with Bipolar Disorder swing between these two polar opposites. People may be irritable or aggressive, sad or hopeless; they may experience extreme changes in energy, activity and the need for sleeping and eating. These signs can all be part of the mood fluctuations,” he says.
SADAG is hosting a Facebook Friday on-line chat tonight at 19:00 with Psychologist and Psychiatrist their Facebook page – The South African Depression and Anxiety Group. Anyone who would like to ask questions or interact with these professionals can do so freely at these given times.
