Bipolar Disorder And Mental Illness - 2097 Words

Bipolar disorder, also called manic depression, is a systemic disorder that affects a person both mentally and physically. While talking about diseases and disorders may be hard for some, it is vital that we do in order to have an understanding of them. Bipolar disorder affects so many people in the world that it is highly likely that you probably know someone suffering from it. It is a disorder that we are still making discoveries about each and everyday, and will continue to do so in order to satisfy our thirst for knowledge. Bipolar disorder is a serious mental illness that not many people have a full understanding of. In the US, more than three million people have bipolar disorder. It can come at any age, but usually appears in the†¦show more content†¦During the low, or depressive, periods, people with severe cases of bipolar disorder lose nearly all interest in life and are never happy. Time moves slowly and life seems to be dragging on. People can feel worthless and can have pessimistic thoughts, such as dying of a terminal disease or being punished. They can also have physical symptoms as well. Some of these symptoms can be headaches, body aches, fatigue, insomnia, and lethargy (Harvard, 2001). During this period, suicide is an ever present threat and for this reason, people during the depressed state should be watched and looked after. The manic phase is the other half to bipolar disorder. Usually the manic phase is the first that people will ever experience when they acquire the illness. A milder form of mania is known as hypomania. During hypomania, a person may have swift and flow ing thoughts and be extremely creative. Many writers and artists extract ideas from their periods of hypomania. During a true manic period, a person may be extremely irritable, and have an elevated mood that encourages them to try dangerous activities. This can cause problems at work, home, and school. Since a person can have poor judgement during this period, loved ones should try to protect them from participating in self harming activities such as drug or alcohol abuse, going on large