1. A Synopsis of Bipolar Disorder and the Feelings Inside

2. What is Bipolar Disorder? Bipolar Disorder is a manic-depressive disorder in which the affected person cycles through extremely depressed and extremely manic phases.

3. What are the symptoms of Bipolar Disorder? Extremely irritable or hyper as well as extremely depressed and reserved Easily distracted Restlessness Sleeping issues Extreme periods of narcissism Loss of sex drive Suicidal thoughts

4. How common is Bipolar Disorder? Bipolar Disorder is considered common. It affects about 3-5% of the population of the world.

5. Is Bipolar Disorder Genetic? Although it is not directly caused by genetics meaning that if the parents are bipolar it’s not necessarily so that a child would be bipolar, however, they are highly likely to develop bipolar disorder in their later years, usually before the age of 20.

6. Are men or women more affected by this ailment? Women nor men are more or less likely to develop Bipolar Disorder. It is a relatively even disorder meaning that women and men are equally likely to develop this disorder.

7. What are possible treatments of this disorder? There are many medicinal treatments available. Although there are many medical treatments, medicine alone cannot combat this disease. There should be a lot of therapy with an experienced psychologist in order to deal with this disease. Social therapy is also a treatment possible.

8. How long can the mood swing cycles last? Cycles can last anywhere from hours, which is very uncommon, to days, weeks, months, or even years depending on the severity of the disorder.

9. Synopsis of a manic cycle Being highly distracted Either feeling extremely optimistic or extremely irritable. Having trouble sleeping Very fast talking Being distracted easily Reckless behavior In extreme cases, delusions and hallucinations

10. Synopsis of a depressive cycle Feeling hopeless, sad, or empty Extreme irritability Inability to experience pleasure Mental and physical fatigue or sluggishness Weight/appetite changes Sleeping issues Concentration issues Suicidal thoughts or tendencies Worthless feelings

11. When does Bipolar Disorder usually appear? Bipolar Disorder usually surfaces around the age of 20.

12. Does Bipolar Disorder ever subside? Bipolar Disorder is not totally curable, however, it can be handled very well with medication and therapy.

13. About how many people are affected by this ailment? ~2.6 of the adult population of the world is affected by this ailment. ~82.9% of the cases are classified as “severe”

14. On a good day… On a good day when everything is in line, I feel relatively alright. The thoughts aren’t racing too much and I don’t feel completely depressed, though I do have random depressive moments.

15. When I’m depressed… When I’m depressed, I can’t sleep, I don’t want to eat, and I push those close to me away. I also can’t focus on anything because I’m too depressed to do anything. I don’t even want to leave my bed.

16. When I’m manic… When I’m manic, the thoughts just won’t stop. I can’t focus on anything. I can’t keep on a topic. I feel really energetic and narcissistic. People often get annoyed with me when I’m manic because I just won’t stop talking or I talk too quickly for them to understand me.

17. My relationships with people… When I’m either manic or depressive, I tend to push people away. When I’m depressed, I often leave my boyfriend, but he’s used to this by now so it’s not too bad. When I’m manic, people can’t stand to be around me because I’m so energetic… my relationships with people are really strained.

18. How my school work is affected… When I’m either manic or depressed, I can’t focus on anything. If I’m trying to take a test, I’m either too depressed to even try or I’m having so many thoughts all at once that I can’t concentrate on my test.

19. How my bank account suffers… Mania tends to make me go out and buy things I don’t need. It’s not like I don’t have money to buy random nothings, but I could be using it for more useful things. If I go to the store, I usually end up buying more things I don’t need than I do need.

20. How my family feels… My family noticed my bipolar tendencies when I was a child and they always treated me like I was a normal kid, but I knew I wasn’t. Even now my relationship with my family is strained but they continue to accept me for who I am because they know my ailment isn’t my fault and I can’t change the way I am.

21. How I truly feel on the inside… On the inside, I know that people who tolerate me are just being nice. I know I’m a horrible person when I’m manic or depressive… I know I’m just a burden to the people around me… but I’m too pathetic to seek the help of a psychologist…