What is the sudden fascination with bipolar disorder?!
Question: What is the sudden fascination with bipolar disorder!?
It seems like every question I see asks something like "Could I be bipolar!?" or "Is my friend bipolar" And heaven forbid anybody mention mood swings in a question!. Even though anything from diabetes/hypoglycemia, thyroid conditions, menoause, or just plain teenage angst can cause them, the term "mood swings" automatically prompts a minimum of 3 replies that state "bipolar!." Only 1-2% of the population has any form of this condition, so I find it highly unlikely that there are so many folks floating around who meet the diagnostic criteria!. If folks find it a fashionable diagnosis, let me tell you: it isn't!. Has the media focused so much on this disorder recently that it is just simly top of mind for everyone these days!?
Opinions!?Www@Answer-Health@Com
Opinions!?Www@Answer-Health@Com
Answers:
it is easy to label someone instead of really finding out what they have,
often they don't have bipolar, but something completely different
how about helping people get better as best as we can, rather than label themWww@Answer-Health@Com
often they don't have bipolar, but something completely different
how about helping people get better as best as we can, rather than label themWww@Answer-Health@Com
I agree wholeheartedly!! I think it's that the media has focused so much on this disorder that it's on everyone's mind!. I think that it's probably getting over diagnosed because the pharmaceutical companies are playing these commercials over and over all the time, driving it into people's minds!. You're right, the mood swings can be caused by anything!. God forbid you're naturally a hyperactive person who is going through a period of mild depression!. Your natural hyperactive state can easily be diagnosed as "manic" and there you go - life long stigma that will be on your medical record and cause problems with your health insurance!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
I agree completely!. People have a horrible misconception of the disorder, and for some reason unbeknownst to be, it has become "popular" amongst my relative age group!. I'd just love to trade minds with one of those poor suckers for a day!.!.!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
It seems to be the new "fashion" - like borderline PD was a few years ago!. If you had mood swings and did reckless stuff 5 years ago, and especially if you cut yourself, you'd automatically be labelled BPD!. Now, everyone cuts themselves!.
Bipolar disorder used to be known as manic-depressive psychosis and usually does not involve cycling between various mood states in the space of hours or a day!. Both the manic phase and the depressive phase of a bipolar episide can last weeks or months, and are so disabling that it's highly unlikely somebody suffering from it would be posting on Y!A asking "Am I bipolar" !. If they really were, they'd know!.
I've nursed bipolar patients - one lady spent an entire week with NO sleep at all, hardly any food or water, smoking about 80 cigs a day, singing and dancing round the ward 24/7, escaping as often as she could to proposition strangers for sex - all despite massive injections of haloperidol and enough thorazine to fell a horse!. When she finally came down and went into the depressive phase, she couldn't even speak or dress herself, and had to be fed!.
Everyone has some mood swings - it's normal and natural!. But it doesn't mean you have bipolar disorder!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
Bipolar disorder used to be known as manic-depressive psychosis and usually does not involve cycling between various mood states in the space of hours or a day!. Both the manic phase and the depressive phase of a bipolar episide can last weeks or months, and are so disabling that it's highly unlikely somebody suffering from it would be posting on Y!A asking "Am I bipolar" !. If they really were, they'd know!.
I've nursed bipolar patients - one lady spent an entire week with NO sleep at all, hardly any food or water, smoking about 80 cigs a day, singing and dancing round the ward 24/7, escaping as often as she could to proposition strangers for sex - all despite massive injections of haloperidol and enough thorazine to fell a horse!. When she finally came down and went into the depressive phase, she couldn't even speak or dress herself, and had to be fed!.
Everyone has some mood swings - it's normal and natural!. But it doesn't mean you have bipolar disorder!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
i think "education" of people on mental disorders says that they are all chemical, in-born, and that the only solution is drugs, and that any other point of view is dinosour/religious (such a the mistaken idea you can use willpower to snap out of a depression)!.
so all the brain-washed teens on this site (most of them are teens) re-iterate the "enlightened" education they were taught and say "drugs, drugs, drugs"!.
the truth is, for most mild disorders, excercise works just as well as drugs!. if the health problem is that a person gets no excercise, has no friends (needs to learn to socialize), or some other circumstatial thiing, the person needs to confront and fix their problem, not take drugs! but no one has figured out yet how to charge teenagers with no friends to teach them to make friends, so until someone learns how to make money off that, they will push drugs, drugs, drugs!.
yes, extreemely crazy people who are delusional or can't function need drugs, but these days every 12yr old wants to "help" people by telling them that all they have is a chemical disorder and a little pill can help!.
sad, sad world!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
so all the brain-washed teens on this site (most of them are teens) re-iterate the "enlightened" education they were taught and say "drugs, drugs, drugs"!.
the truth is, for most mild disorders, excercise works just as well as drugs!. if the health problem is that a person gets no excercise, has no friends (needs to learn to socialize), or some other circumstatial thiing, the person needs to confront and fix their problem, not take drugs! but no one has figured out yet how to charge teenagers with no friends to teach them to make friends, so until someone learns how to make money off that, they will push drugs, drugs, drugs!.
yes, extreemely crazy people who are delusional or can't function need drugs, but these days every 12yr old wants to "help" people by telling them that all they have is a chemical disorder and a little pill can help!.
sad, sad world!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
I have long thought bipolar and medication in general are often over-diagnosed and over-prescribed!.
With Britney Spears getting diagnosed as Bipolar and the news (tabloids) placing so much focus on her and It, is it any wonder a bunch of people are wondering if this is what they have!?
Part of the problem may simply be that people want to have a Reason for why they behave a certain way!. "I'm not just weird, I do this because I'm ill!." Though I'm certain seriously ill people also want to know why they are suffering!. I know that when I was younger and initially diagnosed as Major Depression I clung to that diagnosis like it was some holy grail!. Suddenly I knew why once or twice a year I'd fall into a pit of despair where one of my only comforts was a drawer full of pills I'd managed to swipe from the cabinet or buy at the store!. For me, at least, when I was given a newer diagnosis of bipolar I disbelieved and actually switched therapists over it!.
Sorry I think I'm drifting off topic - Yes, I think the media is focusing on the topic!. BUT, and that's in all caps, I think that media focus is going a long way in removing the stigma of a bipolar diagnosis!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
With Britney Spears getting diagnosed as Bipolar and the news (tabloids) placing so much focus on her and It, is it any wonder a bunch of people are wondering if this is what they have!?
Part of the problem may simply be that people want to have a Reason for why they behave a certain way!. "I'm not just weird, I do this because I'm ill!." Though I'm certain seriously ill people also want to know why they are suffering!. I know that when I was younger and initially diagnosed as Major Depression I clung to that diagnosis like it was some holy grail!. Suddenly I knew why once or twice a year I'd fall into a pit of despair where one of my only comforts was a drawer full of pills I'd managed to swipe from the cabinet or buy at the store!. For me, at least, when I was given a newer diagnosis of bipolar I disbelieved and actually switched therapists over it!.
Sorry I think I'm drifting off topic - Yes, I think the media is focusing on the topic!. BUT, and that's in all caps, I think that media focus is going a long way in removing the stigma of a bipolar diagnosis!.Www@Answer-Health@Com