John Wick wrote about his experience living with bipolar disorder. He describes bipolar disorder as a brain illness characterized by shifts in mood and ability. It causes manic episodes where one feels overjoyed and excited, depressive episodes where one feels extremely sad and hopeless, and mixed episodes with symptoms of both. John was diagnosed at age 8 and takes lithium daily to stabilize his mood, though he still experiences manic and depressive episodes that impact his daily life. He hopes for greater understanding and awareness of mental illness from others.

1. My Life: Bipolar Disorder
By: John Wick

2. Disclaimer
This a project for a high school AP Psychology course. This is a fictionalized
account of having a psychological ailment. For questions about this blog project
or its content please email the teacher, Laura Astorian: laura.
astorian@cobbk12.org

3. What is Bipolar Disorder?
● Brain Illness
● Sometimes referenced as manic-depressive illness.
● It causes shifts in mood and the ability to carry out tasks.
● Characterized by manic and depressive states.

4. General Info
● It is very common. There is about three million cases of it in the US every
year.
● There is no cure for it.
● Sometimes it is hard to know if someone has it in public.
● There are many different levels of bipolar disorder.

5. Causes
● Like in most mental disorders there is no one cause to the disorder.
● Bipolar does have a connection to genes because children with parents
with the disease have a much higher chance of getting it.
● There must also be environmental influences because both identical twins
don’t always get the disease if the other has it.

6. Causes Continued
● The brain structure may also be different with people with bipolar disorder.
● Children with bipolar disorder seem to develop slower mentally.
● New brain imaging shows that bipolar may be linked with an
underdeveloped prefrontal cortex which helps solve problems and
connects to other parts of the brain.

7. General Symptoms
● Patients experience dramatic mood swings called “mood episodes”.
● Mood episodes include:
○ Manic State: which is being overjoyed and excited.
○ Depressive State: which is being sad and very hopeless like one doesn’t feel like living
anymore.
○ Mixed State: which is where symptoms of both are present.

8. Symptoms for Manic Episode
● Very irritable
● Lots of energy
● Outgoing
● Talking a lot
● Being distracted
● Impulsive
● Unrealistic beliefs

9. Symptoms for Depressive Episode
● Feeling unbelievably sad
● No interest in activities or leaving the house
● Being tired
● Irritable
● Can’t concentrate
● Thinking of death
● Attempted suicide

10. Classifications
● Bipolar 1 Disorder: Manic states that last longer than a week and two
week depressive episodes.
● Bipolar 2 Disorder: Depressive and hypomanic episodes.
● Bipolar Disorder Not Otherwise Specified: Has symptoms but does not
reach the diagnosis.
● Cyclothymia: Mild form of bipolar disorder.

11. Treatments (Medicine)
● Luckily many symptoms of bipolar disorder can be controlled with
medicine.
● Mood Stabilizers: Lithium helps stabilize a person's mood.
● Atypical Antipsychotics: Help treat manic states of bipolar disorder.
● Antidepressants: Help treat depressive states of bipolar disorder.

12. Treatments (Psychotherapy)
● There are many different types of psychotherapy that attempt to complete
the same task.
● Psychotherapy helps everyone around a patient help the patient cope with
their symptoms. Many therapists help patients understand the way they
think and try to help change their behavior.
● Psychotherapy is very useful in combination with medicine.

13. My Diagnosis
● When I was eight, now I am 16, I was diagnosed with bipolar disease.
● As a kid I always had mood issues, one week I was extremely happy and
the next I would cry for days in my room.
● My parents told me to, “Buck Up!!!”.
● Finally they took me to a doctor after trying to commit suicide one night.

14. My Daily Life
● Wake up at 6:40.
● Take my lithium pill that will stabilize my mood for the majority of the day.
● Take a shower.
● Go to school.
● Come home and take another pill.
● Do homework
● Go to bed

15. My Symptoms
● In a depressive episode, I tend to be very tired and think very suicidal. I also
stay to myself and tend not to leave my room.
● In a manic episode, I love life and tend to go to church. I am really social
and sometimes behave impulsively.

16. My Experiences
● In the past eight years, I have had a few hardcore experiences with my
disorder.
● At 13, I went into a extreme manic state and jump off a bridge because I
thought it would be fun, but I broke both of my legs.
● Last year, I had a very unusually long depressive state where I had to get
antidepressants to get me out of it. During this time I tried suicide twice.

17. My Experiences Continued

18. My Feelings towards Bipolar
● Bipolar does alter my everyday life.
● Although it alters my life, it does not change how I live or interact on a day
to day basis.
● I thank God everyday for the doctors who help my my disorder.
● I also pray everyday for those who are less fortunate and suffer from
serious mental illnesses.
● I realize I’ve could of had it much worse and most of the time I don’t even
think about having the disorder.

19. My Feelings about What Others Think
● I don’t like how people think that mental illnesses are different than others
disease. Although, it affects your brain it is like any other disease.
● At the same time, I wish that my friends and family would be more aware
of my illness and try harder not to say things that could send me into a
depressive state.
● I also wish that people wouldn’t see it as something that holds me back
either.
● And making fun of it makes me really angry.

20. My Feelings Continued

21. Work Cited
Bipolar Disorder in Adults. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nimh.nih.
gov/health/publications/bipolar-disorder-in-adults/index.shtml