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Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar Disorder is characterized by severe mood swings between mania and depression (leading to its more popular term, manic depression). During the manic phase, people experience elation, long bursts of energy, and extreme sensitivity to others’ opinions and actions. Without warning, they crash into intense sadness, pessimism and disinterest. In both phases, however, they may have difficulty making sound judgments and can—in the most severe cases—pose a threat to themselves or other people. In fact, in the extreme cases, suicidal tendencies are not uncommon.

It was once thought that bipolar disorder was more common among people with unusually high levels of creativity. This perception may have been caused by a long list of artists who have suffered from it: Lord Byron, Virginia Woolf, Ernest Hemingway, Peter Tchaikovsky, Sergey Rachmaninoff, Jackson Pollock. However, this does not explain why many creative people don’t suffer from this disorder, or conversely, why most of its victims are not particularly creative. Most research points to genetics (realized in neurobiological structure) as the cause of bipolar disorder, with episodes triggered and heightened by personal stress.

While bipolar disorder can be emotionally debilitating, it can be controlled by medication, particularly those made from lithium carbonate, carbamazepine, and valproate. However, these drugs can only curb, not cure, the disorder, and symptoms will return once treatment is stopped.

Web Resources On Bipolar Disorder

NIMH: Bipolar Disorder
About.com: Bipolar Disorder

Book Resources On Bipolar Disorder

Essential Psychopharmacology of Depression and Bipolar Disorder by Stahl & Muntner
Bipolar Disorder: A Guide for Patients and Families by Francis Mondimore

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