Understanding Bipolar People

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Having a friend with this kind of mental illness is somewhat frustrating, but as we having a hard time understanding the, they also having a VERY hard time to fight this with themselves.

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In order to understand the people with this Mental Illness, first you have to understand the illness itself, what is Bipolar.

Bipolar disorder also known as Manic Depression is a mental health condition that causes extreme mood swings that include emotional highs and lows. Highs meaning Mania or Hypomania, and Lows meaning Depression.

People who are Depressed may feel sad or hopeless or having less or no interest in most activities. When their mood shifts to Mania or Hypomania, they feel full of energy that could affect their sleep, behavior, and even judgement or decision-making.

People with this switch between behaviors is called Episodes, from rarely or multiple times a year. While most people with this illness experience more often.

SYMPTOMS
There are several types of Bipolar Disorders that can cause unpredictable mood changes. Although this Disorder may occur at any age, it can affect mostly in early 20s.

Mania or Hypomania mode
When they are in Mania or Hypomania mode, it could affect or change a lot from them, that they don’t usually do. This includes:

• Increased energy
• Exaggerated sense of self-confidence
• They feel that they don’t need to sleep
• Being Talkative that usual
• More things coming through their mind
• Easily Distracted
• Poor decision-making

CAUSES
Bipolar Disorder’s exact cause is unknown until now, but several factors may involve Biological Differences, which having physical change in their brain, and Genetics or could be inherit from relatives.

PREVENTION
There is no sure way to prevent Bipolar Disorder, but the earliest treatment can prevent this illness, like Avoiding Drugs and Alcohol, taking prescribes medication as directed, and keeping busy all the time.

People with Bipolar Disorder, often ashamed with themselves for having that illness, so Accepting and telling you directly from them is a lot. So take a good care of them, Understand them, and fight with them all the time.

Bipolar persons sees them selves that they are impossible to deal with, because sometimes they tend not to do anything, because in their mind, everything they do, is just another mistake for others.

So if we care for them we always says, lets do this, lets do that, but sometimes its a no for them, they mostly want to do nothing, the want to be alone, and if you invite them to a party, that would probably not a good idea, because a lot is going around in their minds, a lot of what ifs. What if they are just a burden, what if they mess things around, what if others don't like them.

Questions that even if you tell them directly the truth, they can't do it or can't believe it by them selves. We need to show them, we need to encourage them, but not fully forced them to do it.

Saying to them that you are always there for them mean a lot them, but never stop there. Talk to them, ask about their day, without judging or anything, keep busy with them, so instead of giving them what to do, or asking them to join your activity. It may be more effective if we join them in what ever they want to do.

Please don't ask them if they have negative thoughts, because most of the time, they always have negative thoughts.

Maybe it is much better for them to have a small group of friends against a large circle of people around them, in that way they have less effort thinking and minding few people, against a large group.
If so, a 1 or 2 person that is always there for them, to have a deep conversation with, that they can share their thoughts without judging them, or saying anything is enough.

Most of Bipolar people needs a listener to their stories, to their thoughts, because of the many thoughts around their mind, please don't add something up that they will think every time.

In this clip, we see Anne Hathaway portrays a person with Bipolar illness in a series Modern Love. She bravely tell this to her Best friend Quincy Tyler Bernstine, and gladly her boss accepts it and even cancel her appointment for that day, just to be with her and talk to her.

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