"Some people may be diagnosed with rapid-cycling bipolar disorder. This is when a person has four or more episodes of major depression, mania, hypomania, or mixed symptoms within a year. Some people experience more than one episode in a week, or even within one day. Rapid cycling seems to be more common in people who have severe bipolar disorder and may be more common in people who have their first episode at a younger age. One study found that people with rapid cycling had their first episode about four years earlier, during mid to late teen years, than people without rapid cycling bipolar disorder. Rapid cycling affects more women than men.
Bipolar disorder tends to worsen if it is not treated. Over time, a person may suffer more frequent and more severe episodes than when the illness first appeared. Also, delays in getting the correct diagnosis and treatment make a person more likely to experience personal, social, and work-related problems.
Proper diagnosis and treatment helps people with bipolar disorder lead healthy and productive lives. In most cases, treatment can help reduce the frequency and severity of episodes."
10 comments:
Thank you for sharing this info Wanda. I believe there are so many out there who might not even be aware of this condition. Bipolar is hard to diagnose sometimes.
Blessing to you Wanda and have a great Thursday!
Thank you for sharing. I have two friends recently diagnosed and struggling at this time.
You are correct, many people are not aware of this condition or the help that is available to those suffering.
Blessings and prayers, andrea
The problem tends to be in the mania. Nobody wants to give that up.
I sponsored a girl for 5 years - alcoholic, severe bipolar, eating disorder, drug addict, shopaholic, etc. - but she managed to stay sober and mostly drug free (not counting her bipolar meds which she needed).
But, unfortunately, just before her 5 year anniversary, she began to slip and now that she has moved and is somewhere else, she is drinking and maybe more.
Breaks my heart. She was such a lovely person. I pray for her.
PG
Four episodes within a year eh? LOL I remember those days! After begging for help for over ten years, I finally found a doctor that got me on the right meds and I do very well now. I don't know that I'm bipolar, I mostly get the major depression not so much the mania. Sometimes it takes a while to find the right doc and meds, and psychotherapy is a must, but all the work is worth it. I believe the official dx was "borderline personality disorder", but I don't even think about it now days. I function very well as long as I take my meds, and it doesn't mean you are crazy, it's a real illness, just like heart disease.
Great post my friend, take care,
Julian
Wanda, a great find. Thanks for sharing the information for those who suffer. You are a blessings dear one.....
Bipolar disorder is a grave illness causing intense mood alterations ranging from feeling depressed to mania, can even contemplate to suicide. It is caused due to genetic predisposition, high-stress lifestyle, sleep deprivation, stress filled events in life etc. Symptoms are: feeling sad, lonely, helpless, and guilty etc. If anyone are suffering from it, should discuss with close ones, friends, so it will relieve one's pain, should take help from others to prevent it.
You're dealing with a lot lately. A friend moving, not sleeping, bipolar mood changes...and still you're remaining grateful and you put up this informative post here. You're amazing, Wanda!
((((((Hugs)))))) to you, you dear person.
This is a very good post: accurate, succinct, and well expressed. There is no doubt about the soundness of your remarks about the importance of proper diagnosis and treatment. That is one of the salient points of my recently released biographical novel, Broken Saint. It is based on my forty-year friendship with a bipolar man, and chronicles his internal and external conflicts as he battles for stability and acceptance (of himself and by others). More information is available at http://www.eloquentbooks.com/BrokenSaint.html or authorautobahn.webs.com/bookpeek.htm.
My bipolar onset probably when I started hitting puberty but I wasn't diagnosed until I was 38. In the space of a month I have a hypomanic episode and major depression and a period of relative stability. Each of these lasts between 7-10 days, generally.
Post a Comment