Monday 14 March 2016

Mental health awareness March- Bipolar disorder




Hey guys! Today's mental health awareness march post is on Bipolar disorder. Last week I talked about anxiety disorders and panic attacks and it was so nice to see you guys sharing and reading my post so thank you and I hope you continue to share this series and I hope it is helping people to become aware of mental illnesses and how the effect people.

Bipolar disorder is where a person suffers from very severe episodes of mania and depression. In a mania stage, one might be extremely happy, full of self-confidence and very loud.  In manic eppisodes people may make rash decisions, such as leaving their jobs, or spending lots of money. In a depressive stage they might be very sad, have difficulty sleeping and lack of self-confidence. In type 1 bipolar disorder, there is mania and mixed episodes, the person can feel very elevated or  have a mixed episode, which may include depression. In type 2 bipolar disorder, there is hypomania and depression, a less extreme mania, where they may feel energetic but do not loose touch with reality and can be often followed by a very depressive episode.

People with Bipolar disorder do go about their normal lives and symptoms can be treated, similarly exercise and eating right can often help some people. Most people with Bipolar have more depressive episodes than manic episodes, indeed many people can go for long periods of time without having any symptoms. Bipolar doesn't just affect mood either, it can affect energy, concentration, sleep patterns and self-esteem. People with bipolar are more likely to develop psychotic depression, where someone has lost touch with reality.

It has been found that without treatment bipolar can get worse, and getting into treatment is really important. It can require long-term treatment and often requires medication and therapy.

I hope this has enlightened you a bit more about bipolar disorder! If you would like to write a blog post about a mental illness, either the one discussed or a different one on my series please send them to smitheh01@gmail.com. You don't have to be a blogger, just have a wish to bring about awareness of mental illnesses.
Lots of love,
Eleanor x


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