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The Truth About Bipolar Disorder

October 8, 2009

Bipolar disorder affects more people than you think.  Almost 1 out of every 100 adults has been diagnosed with this manic personality disorder.  One of my closest family members has been treated for a form of this mental illness that is associated with mood instability.  We all experience good and bad days but our highs and lows are usually not as extreme as a person with this illness.   They display all the common symptoms associated with it such as extreme ups (mania) and downs (depression). 

 

When I am around that person it feels like I’m riding a roller coaster.  I almost have to go along with the deep mood swings in order to avoid being the target of physical aggression.  One minute they are laughing uncontrollably, the next minute they are ranting about how they hate everyone.  Needless to say, it has definitely impacted my life because of the close relationship I have with this person.  

 

It also places a burden on coworkers or anyone else they come in contact with.  I would also observe their behavior and interaction with a significant other.  I noticed a consistency in the time they spent together was either really good or really bad, there was no happy medium.  They were either holding hands and looking lovingly into each other’s eyes or getting into violent boxing matches. 

 

Most people with this disorder can function normally in society if treated effectively.  If you ignore it, it may lead to more severe and disabling tendencies or even suicide. 

1% of the population has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, however many cases go undetected or get mistreated as depression.  My family member displayed some of the classic symptoms associated with the manic side such as inflated self esteem, euphoria, extreme optimism, tendency to be easily distracted, aggressive behavior, agitation, and spending sprees to name a few.  Some symptoms linked to the depressive side are fatigue, sadness, hopelessness, sleep problems, anxiety, irritability, and hopelessness.  Some people even suffer psychotic episodes, hallucinations, and delusions. 

 

This disorder has been linked to schizophrenia but the causes have yet to be determined.  There are three factors experts are researching- biochemical, genes, and environmental factors.  If you are a manic depressive you were probably born with the possibility of developing it but something that happened to you set it off.  It could have been a traumatic event like the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, or even relocating. 

 

People with self esteem issues have been known to develop bipolar symptoms.  There are also physical changes in the brain that affects chemicals called neurotransmitters which are tied to mood.  Hormonal imbalances may also be the culprit.  There has been a link between family members with mental illnesses, but studies have shown that one identical twin could have it and the other doesn’t necessarily have to. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lyla Feldman
http://www.articlesbase.com/mental-health-articles/the-truth-about-bipolar-disorder-486410.html

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 8th, 2009 at 2:44 am and is filed under bipolar disorder. You can follow any comments to this post through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

14 Responses to “The Truth About Bipolar Disorder”

  1. rocko33543 Says:
    October 8th, 2009 at 2:44 am

    Do people with bipolar disorder have tendency to fabricate or lie about the truth?

  2. christina w Says:
    October 8th, 2009 at 7:46 am

    no why ?
    References :

  3. rodeogal1370 Says:
    October 8th, 2009 at 7:48 am

    ummm sometimes. mostly they are just really moody. i mean im a little bipolar and my stepmom is big time. but lying not a main trait, its mostly just bitching, outrage, anger, then nice sometimes for no reason.
    References :

  4. psy1on1 Says:
    October 8th, 2009 at 7:50 am

    No, just severe mood swings.
    References :

  5. byebyebabydollie Says:
    October 8th, 2009 at 7:52 am

    People lie because they are liars - not because they are bipolar. Being bipolar is about moods, not personality. It’s about having ups and downs.
    References :

  6. Aranel Says:
    October 8th, 2009 at 7:54 am

    NO! that’s insulting. i’m bipolar and have ocd and i’m a normal person! i try not to lie because i’m a christian. being bipolar is just like having extreme mood swings. please don’t think that just because someone is bipolar means that their ’speical’. we’re just like every one else.
    References :
    ps: i’m not that MUCH biploar and my ocd isn’t extreme, but try living with it.

  7. RED FURY Says:
    October 8th, 2009 at 7:56 am

    No. That is a characteristic of a compulsive liar.
    References :

  8. bsemaj Says:
    October 8th, 2009 at 7:58 am

    no they dont. they are able to tell the truth by psychic projection and meditation. would i lie to u
    References :

  9. sparkles Says:
    October 8th, 2009 at 8:00 am

    Well maybe they tell a little white liw so they don’t end up in the lunnie bin. It might be their manic state.
    References :

  10. Precious H Says:
    October 8th, 2009 at 8:02 am

    Yes. In fact, many of them are HUGE liars and lie on purpose. Another part of the problem is that they don’t see things the way "normal" people do. Therefore, at times they really aren’t lying because they truly DO remember it that way. It is very frustrating and it can be extremely hard to have a relationship of any kind with a person who has this disorder. Many of them are extremely paranoid and perceive things differently than somebody else would. They MISperceive, I should say. They will often say that a person has said things they haven’t said or read meanings into the person’s words that are not there. When called upon to remember what a person has said, they often get the meaning or point of the other person’s dialogue completely wrong (and often have turned it in to something damaging or negative toward themselves). They add or leave words out that change the entire meaning of the sentence to something that was not intended by the speaker. And they become extremely frustrated, angry and upset when they are told they are wrong or that they are lying because they really DO think they are right and remembering correctly. They accuse the other person of being the liar or of trying to paint them as "crazy." It is extremely difficult to get along with somebody who has this illness; medication can help but sometimes it can take awhile to find the right one(s).
    This applies to people who have this disorder severely. Some people don’t have it very badly and function just fine.
    References :
    MUCH research into bipolar disorder; husband diagnosed as bipolar with psychotic features

  11. Lw's Lady Says:
    October 8th, 2009 at 8:04 am

    Lie,two of my kids are bipolar…..my daughter especially she fabricates at first then when she stumbles on her story it turns into a lie,an she is not a kid.none of them are.it’s a form of mental problems can’t hold a job for long,trouble in relationships,etc. we are not close although I have tried she is just brainwashed from believing all her own lies that she shuts out the truth.
    References :
    in my family.

  12. TERA Says:
    October 8th, 2009 at 8:06 am

    It depends…sometimes when a person is in a severely manic state, he/she may exaggerate or even fabricate. Severe mania can be accompanied by delusions or psychosis, in which case untruths may be told but the person telling them believes what he/she is saying is true. In less severe forms of bi-polar, a person coming down from the manic state may feel ashamed of things he/she has done while manic, and may use ego-defense mechanisms to rationalize their actions. This is an unconscious process, therefore not to be confused with "lying." But if the person outright lies, because he/she is ashamed or embarrassed, this is not uncommon, as people tend to do outrageous things (or at the least questionable things…have lapses in good judgment) while manic. I suppose how one deals with all of this really depends on the person, and how severe the disorder. I would hesitate to make the assumption that all (or even most) of them lie. If there is persistent lying, it may be an indicator of a personality disorder, but not always.
    References :
    psych major

  13. jerrys1960 Says:
    October 8th, 2009 at 8:08 am

    Keep in mind there are different types/levels of bipolar disorder.

    I will agree with most of the other answers about the irritable, angry, moody, feeling bad, extreme mood swings, paranoia, and being argumentative

    However, I will add one observation I have noticed in a friend of mine’s mother that is bipolar.

    Sometimes her perception of events are very different than what really happened. Thus, sometimes it might seem she is lying about something, however from her viewpoint and perception she is telling the truth. Even though that “truth” sometimes has very little to do with what really happened.

    I have noticed that this tends to happen more with how she interprets statements people make rather than physical events.

    Hope that helps.
    References :

  14. johnp02@ameritech.net Says:
    October 8th, 2009 at 8:10 am

    Lying to who? To the person with actual Bipolar Disorder, when in a Mania, it is similar to a psychotic episode. So what the person perceives may be the truth to themselves but people looking from the outside see a lie. A lot of times a personality disorder exists with someone with Bipolar Disorder, and that perception may be, 1) Actually inaccurately perceived, or 2) A deliberate lie to manipulate someone.
    References :

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